ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT’S TRAVEL THROUGH RUSSIA AND HIS ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY
A.A. CHIBILEV
Institute of Steppe, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 460000, Orenburg, ul. Pionerskaya, 11, Russia orensteppe@mail.ru
Keywords: Центральная Азия, Христиан Эренберг, Густав Розе, Европа как полуостровное продолжение Азии, Русское географическое общество, Central Asia, Christian Ehrenberg, Gustav Rose, Europe as the peninsular extension of Asia, Russian Geo graphical Society
Abstract
The 250 th anniversary of the birth of Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), the great geographer, traveler, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences and of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society was widely celebrated in 2019. Special emphasis is placed on the famous travels of the German scientist to Ural, Siberia, and to the Caspian Sea in 1829. An analysis is made of A. Humboldt’s expedition which promoted the achievement of the planned targets. Among them are a highly skilled accompaniment and support from local authorities in regions of Russia, a good transport and route support, a careful preparation of objects for study, a gratuitous availability of samples and cartographic data, command of the German language by most of the respondents, and a wealth of expedition experience by A. Humboldt and his fellow-travelers. The main results of the travel promoting the development of national science and education are considered.
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