Explorers of the mainland South America. South America. GP. History of discovery and research. History of discovery and research

Started to drift to the west and, subsequently, was transformed into the South American platform. In the course of a long geological history, the connection of the southern continent with the northern one took place. A single land mass has formed, which continues its drift in a westerly direction, crushing the Pacific margin of both continents into folds, “raising up” the longest mountain system on the planet, the Cordillera-Andes. Today, South America, a continent with an area of about $18 million $km²$, together with North America, makes up one part of the world - America.

Features of the geographical position of the mainland

South America has the shape of a triangle, the base of which is located in the equatorial region, and the top is directed towards the south pole. The mainland is crossed equator in its northern part. Also crosses South America and southern tropic . Most of the area of the continent lies between these parallels. Therefore, the mainland receives a large amount of solar radiation throughout the year.

South America is washed by the waters of two oceans: Pacific And Atlantic . narrow Isthmus of Panama the mainland joins North America. Along this isthmus old times animals moved along it, and people penetrated into South America. At the beginning of the $XX$ century, a Panama Canal , connecting the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic and dividing the two continents.

wide in the south Drake Passage separates South America from Antarctica.

Example 1

The Drake Passage is the widest strait in the world - about $820$ km at its narrowest point.

Extreme points:

northern - Cape Gallinas ($12°$ N, $72° $W);
southern mainland - Cape Forward or Forward ($54°$ S, $74°$ W);
southern island - Cape Horn ($56°$ S, $67°$ W)

Remark 1

(according to other sources, the southernmost island point is located on the Diego Ramirez Islands, southwest of Cape Horn - ($56° 30´$ S, $68° 43´$ W);

eastern - Cape Kaabu Branco ($7°$ S, $35°$ W);
western - Cape Parinas ($5°$ N, $81°$ W).

From north to south, the mainland stretches for $7326 $km, and from west to east - to west - $5000$ km at its widest point (around $7°$ S).

History of discovery and research

Remark 2

We can say that South America was discovered three times.

First it was opened by people who moved here from North America along the Isthmus of Panama. But information about this was not known to European science.

In the Middle Ages, navigation became more active. Mighty European states, competing with each other, sought to capture new colonies, explore new trade routes.

In the $XV$$ century, two states dominated the seas - Portugal and Spain. To avoid conflict between them, the Pope of Rome proclaimed with a special bull the lands discovered to the east of the Vatican as the property of Portugal, and everything that was open to the west - to Spain.

Genoese sailor Cristobal Colombo , who was in the service of the Spanish king and went down in history under the name Christopher Columbus , suggested that if the Earth is spherical, then, sailing to the west, you can sail to India or China - the land of fabulous treasures and riches. In $1492$ the expedition of Christopher Columbus reached Antilles . Thus the way was opened New World a second time.

Being sure that he sailed to India, Columbus called local residents Indians . This name has stuck to this day. Christopher Columbus made two more expeditions to the New World, visited the mouth of the Orinoco, but until the end of his days he was sure that he had discovered only the unknown coast of India ( West Indies ).

At the end of $XV$, the Florentine traveler carefully examined the nature of the lands, discovered by Columbus. He came to the conclusion that these lands are not part of Eurasia, but are new mainland. Later this continent was proposed to be called Amerigia or America . This was the third and last discovery of the continent.

First "researchers" new territories were Spanish and Portuguese treasure seekers. History has preserved the names of Pizarro, Cortes, Orellano. These, and others like them, money seekers have destroyed the richest culture of the indigenous peoples of the continent, looking for a ghostly land of gold - El Dorado . Their only merit is that they described the coast, compiled the first maps of the mainland.

Among scientists who have studied the hinterland South America, made a huge contribution. He made the first geological map of the mainland, described the currents west coast, substantiated the theory of altitudinal zonality in the Andes. Russian scientists N. G. Rubtsov and G. I. Landsdorf studied the nature of the interior regions of the Brazilian plateau.

Soviet scientist N. I. Vavilov studied the ancient centers of agriculture, found out the centers of origin of many cultivated plants. South America still holds many mysteries. For researchers, this is still undeveloped territory.

Pretty extensive. Who and when discovered this continent? Even a primary school student knows that it was Christopher Columbus. But serious scientists have no, no, and there are doubts about this. Perhaps the fearless navigators of the early Middle Ages, the Normans, reached the island of Greenland and the shores of North America much earlier than Columbus. Or the Chinese ships crossed the Pacific Ocean and it is the sailors of the Celestial Empire who are the untitled discoverers of the mainland. In addition, Christopher Columbus was sure until the end of his life that his foot did not set foot on new continent and on the western coast of India. In this article we will try to understand the numerous researchers of South America. Each of them contributed to the development of a new continent. Russian scientists were also on the list of discoverers.

The history of laying the Western route

The list of explorers of South America is at the top of the list and it is necessary to appreciate his merit. At that time, Europe experienced difficulties in trade communication with India. The road there for silks and spices was long and dangerous. Based on the postulate of the round shape of the Earth, Columbus hypothesized that India from Europe can be sailed by moving not to the east, but following to the west. It was there, across the Atlantic Ocean, the navigator convinced his sponsor, the Spanish king, that the cherished land of sandalwood and spices lies. And yet he begged for money for the equipment of the expedition. In 1492, Columbus crossed the Atlantic and discovered the Great. This success allowed him to equip two more expeditions. In 1498, Columbus discovered the water in the sea near its shores seemed to the sailors to be too little salty. Only a very large continental river can carry such insipidity, the admiral decided. His ships entered the mouth of the Orinoco and explored the coast of South America as far as the Paria Peninsula.

Expeditions of Amerigo Vespucci

The Portuguese kingdom, having learned about the success of the Spanish explorers of South America (then thought that this was the western coast of India), equipped its three transatlantic expeditions. They were commanded by a navigator. He did not limit himself to swimming along the coast, but made fearless trips deep into the mainland. As a result, he discovered and described the Brazilian Highlands, downstream the Amazon River and the bay where the city of Rio de Janeiro now stands. Gradually, Vespucci began to be tormented by doubts. The newly discovered territories did not look like India at all. He wrote to his homeland in 1503 that it was " New part Sveta". And this name stuck. North and South America are still referred to as the "Indies" and the "New World".

The contribution of Amerigo Vespucci is invaluable. It was he who gave the Europeans the knowledge of the existence of a new continent. Therefore, both continents are named after him. Already in 1507, the Lorraine cartographer Martin Waldseemüller christened the southern part of the continent "America" (Latinized spelling "Amerigo"). In 1538 this name was extended to the northern part of the continent.

Fairy land of Eldorado

Inspired by the success of the Portuguese explorers of South America, whose ships returned loaded with gold, in 1522-58 Spanish sailors. Under the pretext of converting local tribes to the Christian faith, they began to seize land. This conquest (in Spanish "conquest") was accompanied by mass executions of people at the stake, robbery and other violence. The Europeans believed that the new continent was the Golden Land, Eldorado. But along with the conquistadors and religious fanatics, real researchers also arrived in South America, compiling maps describing previously unknown plant and animal species, studying the customs and culture of local tribes. Through the Isthmus of Panama, the Spaniards penetrated to the western coast. The expeditions of P. Andagoi (1522), F. Pizarro (1527), D. Almagro (1537), P. Valdivia (1540s), J. Ladrillero (1558), P. Sarmiento de Gamboa (1580) moved across the Pacific Ocean south to Chile.

Discoverers and explorers of South America

Not only the Spaniards and the Portuguese took part in the conquest of new lands. In 1528, the German bankers Ehingers, Welsers and others received permission from Emperor Charles V to colonize the northeastern coast of South America, washed by the Caribbean Sea. France and Holland also “teared off” a piece of new land for themselves. The British sailors J. Davies, R. Hawkins and J. Strong discovered And the Dutchmen V. Schouten and J. Lemer rounded Cape Horn in 1616. The thirst for profit attracted the Spanish conquistadors deep into the mainland. In search of the legendary gold mines, they crossed the Northwestern Andes and descended to the Spanish and Portuguese explorers and travelers of South America also penetrated the La Plata river basin, described Parana, Gran Chaco, Paraguay. The expedition of F. Orellana was the first to cross the mainland from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean in 1541.

Scientific explorers of South America and their discoveries

The main goal of all the expeditions listed above was the capture of new lands. Scientific research (mapping, description of what was seen along the way) was carried out only because it helped the advancement of the conquistador team. But with the advent of the Enlightenment, the goals of the discoverers changed. The first serious scientific researchers of South America are considered the German Alexander Humboldt and the Frenchman Aimé Bonpland. Five years (from 1799 to 1804) they spent on the mainland, collecting a collection of plants, animals and minerals. After that, A. Humboldt devoted about thirty years to writing a grandiose 30-volume work "Journey to the equatorial (that is, equatorial) lands of the New World."

Other scientific research

We owe an accurate map of the mainland to the English expedition of R. Fitzroy and F. King. In the nineteenth century, when Northern part American continent had already been mastered, the southern one - due to the impenetrable jungle and high mountains - remained unexplored. And "terra incognita" attracted scientists different countries. In the 19th century, such explorers of the continent of South America as the Germans V. Eschweg K. Steinen, the French J. Saint-Hilaire and A. Coudreau, the Austrians and Bavarians I. Natterer, I. Paul, I. Spiks and K. Martius, the British J. Wells, W. Chandless, G. Bates and A. Wallace. Charles Darwin made an invaluable contribution to the study of the new earth. It was the nature of South America that prompted the scientist to think about the evolutionary development of life on Earth.

Russian expeditions to the mainland

The first trip took place in 1822-28. The Russian academic complex expedition was led by G. I. Langsdorf. Its members explored the interior regions of Brazil. The scientific research on the mainland did not end there. Such Russian researchers of South America as A. S. Ionin, N. M. Albov, G. G. Manizer, A. I. Voeikov described the geography, climate, tribal culture, flora and fauna of Tierra del Fuego. Biologist N. I. Vavilov visited the mainland in 1932-33. and established the sources of origin of various agricultural plants.

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Exploring South America

South America, southern mainland Western Hemisphere, between the Pacific approx. in the west and Atlantic ca. in the east, the Caribbean m. in the north and the Magellanic Strait. in the south, from 12° 28" N to 53° 55" S sh. Connected by the Isthmus of Panama with Sev. America. Square with islands [arch. Tierra del Fuego, Chile, Falkland (Malvinas) Islands, Galapagos, etc.] 18.28 million km 2. Maximum length 7150 km, width 5100 km. In the relief, a powerful mountain belt of the Andes (Aconcagua, 6960 m) in the north and west and a platform, flat-flat mountain east stand out. The uplifts of the platform correspond to the plateaus of the Guiana (Mt. Neblina, 3014 m) in the northeast and the Brazilian (Mt. Bandeira, 2890 m) in the east, separated by a trough occupied by the Amazonian lowland (Amazonia). In the marginal and foothill troughs between the plateaus and the Andes, there are plains and lowlands: the Orinoco and the Interior Plains (Pantanal, Gran Chaco, Mesopotamia and Pampa); to the south of it, in the southeast, the Patagonian plateau rises to 2200 m. On the plateaus there are large deposits of iron and manganese ores, bauxite, non-ferrous and rare metals; oil and gas in foothill and intermountain troughs of the Andes; in the mountains there are deposits of ores of copper, polymetals, tin, etc.

Climate for the most part subequatorial and tropical, equatorial in the Amazon, constantly humid, subtropical and temperate in the south. The entire northern plains of South America up to the southern tropic has average monthly temperatures 20-28 ° C. In summer (in January) they decrease to the south to 10 ° C, in winter (in July) on the Brazilian plateau up to 12 ° C, in Pampa to 6 ° C, on the Patagonian plateau to 1 ° C and below. The largest number rainfall per year receive the windward slopes of the Andes in Colombia and South. Chile (5-10 thousand mm), Zap. Amazonia and the adjacent slopes of the Andes, the eastern slopes of the Guiana and Brazilian plateaus (2-3 thousand mm), in the rest of the east up to 35 ° S. sh. falls annually 1-2 thousand mm. Arid (150-200 mm or less) areas west of Pampas, Patagonia, south Center. Andes and especially the Pacific slope between 5-27°S sh. Most of the rivers belong to the basin of the Atlantic Ocean; the largest Amazon, Parana with Paraguay, Orinoco. The rivers of the plateaus are rapids and, as in the Andes, are rich in hydropower. In the lowlands, large rivers are navigable. The soil cover in the hot zone is dominated by lateritic (ferralitic and ferritic) red-colored soil types, reddish-black and gray-brown in the subtropics, and brown in temperate latitudes (forest in the west and semi-desert in the east). Amazonia, the eastern slopes of the plateaus and the Andes (up to 18 ° S. latitude) are covered with evergreen wet equatorial and tropical forests with valuable species of trees (rubber hevea, mahogany, cocoa, cinchona, etc.), on the other plains and plateaus of the savannah and woodlands; in the subtropics of the prairie, steppe and semi-desert, in temperate zone in the west, evergreen mixed forests with an admixture of deciduous, in the east, shrubby semi-deserts. Very rich and peculiar fauna of the South. America belongs to the neotropical Neogea region and is distinguished big amount endemics: sloths, anteaters, armadillos, broad-nosed monkeys, puma, jaguar, peccary, nutria, guinea pigs, etc. Birds include nandu, hoatzin, toucans, etc. The fauna of reptiles, fish and insects is diverse. On the territory of the South Americas are the states: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Chile and Ecuador, as well as French possession of Guiana; to the south. America includes the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands.

Relief. In the relief of South America, a plain-flat platform extra-Andean East and a mountainous Andean West, corresponding to a mobile orogenic belt, are clearly distinguished. The uplifts of the South American platform are represented by the Guiana, Brazilian and Patagonian plateaus, the troughs are represented by the lowlands and plains of the Llanos-Orinoco, Amazonian, Beni-Mamore, Gran Chaco, Mesopotamia (Rr. Parana and Uruguay) and Pampa; from the east. plateaus are framed by narrow intermittent strips of coastal plains.

The Guiana Plateau rises towards the center (the city of Neblina, 3014 m), the Brazilian - from the northwest. to the south-east (Bandeira, 2890 m), Patagonian - from east to west (up to 2200 m). The relief of the Guiana and Brazilian plateaus is dominated by socle gently undulating plains (up to 1500-1700 m high), within which remnant cone-shaped peaks and ridges (for example, Serra do Espinhaso) or table, mostly sandstone, uplands - the so-called chapadas (Auyan-Tepui and Roraima, etc.). East edge The Brazilian plateau is divided into separate massifs (Serra da Mantiqueira and others), which have characteristic forms " sugar heads” (for example, Pan di Asucar in Rio de Janeiro). The troughs and depressions of the Brazilian Plateau in the relief are expressed as monocline-stratal plains with raised edges-cuestas, accumulative plains (the depression of the San Francisco River, etc.) or a lava plateau (in the middle reaches of the Parana). The relief of Patagonia is dominated by layered, including volcanic, stepped plateaus, covered by ancient moraine and water-glacial deposits; plateau cut through deep canyons rivers originating in the Andes; arid forms of denudation are characteristic.

The Andean ridge system extends for 9,000 km to the north and west of the mainland. In the north and northeast, in Venezuela, there are two chains of the Caribbean Andes, deeply dissected by faults and river erosion. The main, meridional system of the Andes, or Andean Cordillera (Cordillera de los Andes), reaching 6960 m (Aconcagua), rises in the west of Yu.A. and subdivided into Northern, Central and Southern Andes. The northern Andes (up to 5 ° S) are distinguished by the alternation of high fold-block ridges and deep depressions. In Ecuador, they consist of the Eastern and Western Cordillera, the depression between which is filled with the products of the activity of the volcanoes Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, and others. Magdalena and Kauka. Volcanoes (Huila, Ruiz, Puras, and others) are concentrated mainly in the Central and South Western Cordilleras; for the central part of the Eastern Cordillera, ancient lake plateaus are typical, the height is 2-3 thousand meters. In the north and west lie the largest lowlands in the Andean west - the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Central Andes(up to 27-28 ° S. latitude) is much wider and more monolithic than the Northern ones. They are characterized by internal plateaus raised up to 3.8-4.8 thousand m, bordered by marginal ridges; most high mountains carry significant glaciation. South part- Central Andean Highlands - the widest (up to 750 km) segment of the Andes; its main element is the Puna plateau with the ancient lake Altiplano plateau in the southwest and a number of blocky ridges in the east and south. In the east, Pune is framed by the Cordillera Real, from the west by the volcanic Western Cordillera (2nd volcanic area Andes with the volcanoes of Misti, Lullaillaco, Saham, etc.), longitudinal tectonic basin(with the Atacama Desert) and the Coastal Cordillera.

In the southern Andes in the north (up to 41 ° 30 "S), the relief is expressed: the double Main Cordillera (the city of Aconcagua in the east, or Front), to which the Precordillera massifs are attached to the east; the Longitudinal Valley of Chile and the Coastal Cordillera. Between 33-52 ° S. there is another volcanic region of the Andes with a large number of active volcanoes to the west of the Main Cordillera and extinct ones to the east of it.In the southernmost segment of the Andes - the Patagonian Andes - the Coastal Cordillera turns into an archipelago of islands, The longitudinal valley - into the system of straits, and the flooded troughs of the sharply decreasing Patagonian Cordillera - into the fjords.Glacial forms dominate.Modern glaciation in South Africa covers an area of 25 thousand km 2, of which over 21 thousand km 2 falls on the Southern Andes. There are also glaciers in the Western Cordillera, between 9 and 11°S, and on the islands of Tierra del Fuego.

Opening. Europeans became reliably aware of the existence of South America after the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1498, who discovered the islands of Trinidad and Margarita, explored the coastline from the Orinoco River Delta to the Paria Peninsula.

In 1499-1504, Amerigo Vespucci made three voyages to the South American continent at the head of the Portuguese expeditions, discovering the northern coast of South America, the Amazon delta, the bay of Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Highlands.

Research. As a result of voyages along the northern and eastern shores of the newly discovered land of UA. Vespucci had a correct idea of it as a southern transatlantic continent, and in 1503 in a letter to his homeland he proposed to call mainland New World. In 1507, the Lorraine cartographer Martin Waldseemüller attributed the discovery of the "fourth part of the world" made by Columbus to A. Vespucci and "christened" this continent America in honor of Amerigo Vespucci. In 1538 this already recognized name was extended on the Mercator map to North America.

Vespucci's first voyage

In 1499-1500 Vespucci was navigator on the expedition of Alonso Ojeda (on three ships), commanding two ships equipped at his own expense. In the summer of 1499, the flotilla approached the northern coast of South America at 5° or 6° north latitude, where it split up. Vespucci moved to the southeast, on July 2 he discovered the Amazon delta and its mouth branch Para, penetrated up to 100 km in boats. Then he continued sailing to the southeast to San Marcos Bay (44 ° west longitude), discovered about 1200 km of the northern coastal strip of South America, discovered the Guiana Current. From there, Vespucci turned back and in August caught up with Alons Ojeda near 66 ° west longitude. Traveling west together, they discovered more than 1600 km south coast mainland with the Paraguana and Guajira peninsulas, the Triste and Venezuelan bays, the Maracaibo lagoon and several islands, including Curaçao. In the autumn, Vespucci again separated from Ojeda, explored the coast of South America 300 km to the southwest, and returned to Spain in June 1500.

Second voyage

In 1501-02 Vespucci was in the Portuguese service as an astronomer, navigator and historiographer in the 1st Portuguese expedition of Gonçalo Cuelho on 3 ships. In mid-August 1501, they approached the Atlantic coast of South America at 5 ° 30 "south latitude and went up to 16 °, repeating the discoveries of the Spaniard Bortolome Roldan (1500). On January 1, 1502, the expedition discovered the bay of Rio de Janeiro (Guanabara), traced the coast 2000 km southwest (up to 25 ° S) and, making sure that the land still stretches in the same direction, turned back. One caravel arrived in Portugal at the end of June, the other with Cuella and Vespucci at the beginning of September ( the third, which had fallen into disrepair, had to be burned).

Third voyage

In 1503-04 Vespucci commanded a caravel in the 2nd expedition of Gonçalo Cuelho on six ships. In early August 1503, near Ascension Island (8 ° south latitude), they discovered, one ship sank, 3 went missing. The caravels Vespucci and Cuelho reached the bay of All Saints, discovered in the previous voyage at 13 °. The detachment that landed on the orders of Vespucci for the first time climbed a steep ledge of the Brazilian Highlands and penetrated 250 km into the interior of the country. In the harbor at 23 ° south latitude, during a 5-month stay, the Portuguese built a fleet, where they left 24 sailors, and returned to Lisbon with a cargo of sandalwood at the end of June 1504.

As a result of voyages along the northern and eastern shores of the newly discovered land, Vespucci formed a correct idea of it as a southern transatlantic continent, and in 1503, in a letter to his homeland, he proposed calling the continent the New World. In 1507, the Lorraine cartographer Martin Waldseemüller attributed the discovery of the “fourth part of the world” made by Columbus to Vespucci and “christened” this continent America in honor of Amerigo Vespucci. In 1538 this already recognized name was extended on the Mercator map to North America. In 1505, after a second move to Spain, Vespucci received Castilian citizenship. In 1508 he was appointed to the newly established position of chief pilot of Spain and held it until his death.

The Pacific coast of South America was discovered in 1522-58 by Spanish sea expeditions. In 1522, P. Andagoya traced northwest coast South America. up to 4° s. sh. In 1526-27, F. Pizarro explored the coast to 8 ° S. sh., opening the Gulf of Guayaquil on the way, from where he began the conquest of Peru in 1532. After the conquest of the country and the founding of the city of Lima (1535), Spanish sailors got acquainted with the coast at least up to 12 ° S. sh., and after campaigns in Chile D. Almagro (1535-37) and P. Valdivia (1540-52) - up to 40 ° S. sh. In 1558, J. Ladrillero discovered between 44 and 47 ° S. sh. the Chonos Archipelago and the Taitao Peninsula, and P. Sarmiento de Gamboa in 1579-80 - a series of islands between 47 and 52 ° S. sh. In 1616, the Dutch J. Lemer and W. Schouten discovered and rounded Cape Horn (56° S). In 1592, the Englishman J. Davis discovered in the Atlantic Ocean at 52 ° S. sh. "Earth of the Maiden", R. Hawkins described it in 1594 northern shores, taking it as a single land, and J. Strong proved that it is divided into two large and many small islands, and called them the Falkland Islands (1690).

In the 15-16 centuries. The greatest contribution to the exploration of the continent was made by the Spanish expeditions of the conquistadors (from the Spanish qoncuista - conquest).

In search of the “golden country - Eldorado”, the Spaniards D. Ordaz, P. Heredia, G. Quesada, S. Belalcasar and agents of the German bankers Welsers and Ehingers (A. Ehinger, N. Federman, G. Hoermuth, F. Hutten), who received in 1528 from Charles V a patent for the colonization of the south coast caribbean, in 1529-46 they discovered and crossed in all directions the Northwestern Andes and Llanos-Orinsco, traced the course of all the large left tributaries of the Orinoco and Magdalena with Cauca. G. Pizarro in 1541-42 went down the river. Napo to the Amazonian lowland, and F. Orellana, who separated from his detachment, in 1541 went down the Amazon to the sea, making the first crossing of South America. In search of silver in the La Plata basin in 1527-48, S. Cabot, P. Mendoza, J. Ayolas, A. Caves de Vaca, D. Irala discovered and explored several large rivers of the Parana-Paraguay system and crossed the Gran Chaco. The lower reaches of the tributaries of the river. The Amazon was discovered by the Portuguese expedition of P. Teixeira - B. Acosta 1637-39, who ascended from the city of Para to the Equatorial Andes and returned down the river. In the 2nd half of the 16th and in the 17th-18th centuries. Portuguese mestizos (Mamiluks), uniting in detachments to hunt Indian slaves, search for gold and precious stones, crossed the Brazilian Plateau in all directions and traced the course of all the large tributaries of the middle and lower Amazon. The system of the upper Amazon in the 17th century. and in the first half of the 18th century. researched mainly by Jesuit missionaries, including the Czech P.S. Fritz.

In 1520, Ferdinand Magellan explored the Patagonian coast, then passed into the Pacific Ocean through the strait, later named after him, completing the study of the Atlantic coast.

In 1522-58. was studied by the Spanish conquistadors pacific coast South America. Francisco Pissarro walked along the coast Pacific Ocean up to 8 yu. sh., in 1531-33. he conquered Peru, plundering and destroying the Inca state and founding the City of the Kings (later called Lima). Later in 1524-52. Spanish conquistadors organized expeditions along the western coast of South America, conquered Peru and Chile, fought a fierce struggle against the Araucans. went down along the coast to 40 s. sh.

extreme south point Cape Horn was discovered by the Dutch navigators LEMER (Le Maire) Jacob (1585-1616), a Dutch merchant and navigator.

In the 16-18 centuries. detachments of the Portuguese mestizo-Mamiluks, who made aggressive campaigns in search of gold and jewelry, repeatedly crossed the Brazilian Plateau and traced the course of many tributaries of the Amazon.

Jesuit missionaries also took part in the study of these areas.

Alexander Humboldt explored the Orinoco river basin, the plateau of Quito, visited the city of Lima, presenting the results of his research in the book Journey to the Equinox Regions of the New World in 1799-1804.

In 1799-1804 Humboldt, together with the French botanist E. Bonpland, traveled to Central and South America. Returning to Europe with rich collections, he processed them in Paris for more than 20 years, along with other prominent scientists. In 1807-34, a 30-volume "Journey to the Equinox Regions of the New World in 1799-1804" was published, most of which consists of descriptions of plants (16 vols.), Astronomical, geodetic and cartographic materials (5 vols.), The other part - zoology and comparative anatomy, a description of the journey, etc. Based on the materials of the expedition, G. published a number of other works, including "Pictures of Nature"

The first scientists to explore South America were the French participants in the Equatorial Expedition to measure the meridian arc of 1736-43 (headed by C. Condamine and P. Bouguer). At the end of the colonial period, complex scientific studies of the La Plata basin (Spanish F. Asara) and the river basin were carried out. Orinoco (German A. Humboldt and Frenchman E. Bonpland). The exact outlines of South America were established mainly by an English expedition in the second quarter of the 19th century. (F. King and R. Fitzroy).

English hydrographer and meteorologist Fitzroy (Fitzroy) Robert (1805-1865), vice admiral in 1828-30 surveyed south coast South America.

In the 19th and 20th centuries studies of the Brazilian plateau and the Amazonian lowland intensified [German W. Eschwege (1811-1814), Frenchman E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1816-22), members of the Austro-Bavarian expedition of 1817-20 K. Martius, I. Spiks, I. Paul , I. Natterer; participants of the Russian complex academic expedition of 1822-28 G.I. Laigsdorf; French complex expedition F. Castelnau (1844-45), British A. Wallace (1848-52), G. Bates (1848-58), W. Chandless (1860-69), J. Wells (1868-84), German K. Steinen (1884 and 1887-88) and Frenchman A. Coudro (1895-98)].

The Guiana plateau and the Orinoco basin were studied: in 1835-44 by the Germans in the English service, the brothers Robert and Richard Schomburgk; in 1860-72 by the Pole in the English service K. Appun; in 1877-89 the Frenchmen J. Krevo, A. Coudro and J. Chaffanzhon, who discovered the source of the river. Orinoco (1887). Bass. La Plata was studied by the American hydrographer T. Page (1853-56) and the Argentine topographer L. Fontana (1875-81).

The following worked in the Northern and Equatorial Andes: the Frenchman J. Bussengo (1822-1828); German geologists A. Stübel and V. Reis (1868-74); English topographer F. Simone (1878-80 and 1884); German geographers A. Getner (1882-84) and V. Sivere, who studied mainly the ranges of the Sierra de Perija, Cordillera Merida (1884-86) and the Maritime Caribbean Andes (1892-93). The Central Andes were explored by naturalists - the German E. Poppig (1829-31) and the Frenchman A. Orbigny (1830-33); in 1851-69 the Peruvian Andes and the region of La Montagna were studied and photographed by the geographer and topographer, an Italian in the Peruvian service, A. Raimondi. The southern Andes - the Chilean-Argentine Cordillera and the Patagonian Andes - were studied in Chile mainly by the Europeans who settled there: the Pole I. Domeiko (1839-44), the Frenchman E. Pissy (1849-75), the German botanist R. Philippi (1853-54) . In Argentina, the English sheep breeder J. Masters crossed all of Patagonia from south to north and laid the foundation for the study of the river basin. Chubut (1869-70) Then the Argentine topographers F. Moreno (1874-97), K. Moyano (1877-1881), L. Fontana (completed the study of the Chubut river basin in 1886-88) came to the fore.

A large amount of research by Yu.A. performed by Russian scientists and travelers: diplomat and geographer A.S. Ionin (1883-92), explorer of Tierra del Fuego, botanist N.M. Albov (1895-96), ethnographer G.G. Manizer (1914-15), botanist and geographer N.I. Vavilov (1930, 1932-33).

Literature

geographic vespucci america swimming

Lukashova E.N., South America, M., 1958

Essays on the Geology of South America. Sat. st., trans. from English, M., 1959

Magidovich I.P., History of discovery and exploration of Central and South America, M., 1965

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Expeditions of Columbus and the further discovery of America by Europeans

The discovery of both South and North America began not from the mainland, but from the islands. The Columbus expedition first landed on Antilles and then on the islands of Trinidad and Puerto Rico. The discovery of the South American continent took place during the third expedition of the great navigator - he visited the Paria Peninsula in South America. Thus, the discovery of South America began with modern Venezuela.

In 1498, new sailors rushed to the shores of America. Representatives of Spain and Portugal began to discover new lands of South America. A team led by Alonso de Oyeda landed in what is now French Guiana. Amerigo Vespucci separated from the team of Oyeda, who with his sailors reached the mouth of the Amazon. Four years later, this great one reached Novaya Zemlya. From that moment it became clear that this path did not lead to India, as was originally supposed, and that America was a separate large piece of land.

America itself got its name from one of its discoverers, Amerigo Vespucci.

In 1500, Pedro Alvarez Cobral began exploring eastern South America by landing in what is now Brazil. In turn, the western coast of South America was explored only in 1520 by an expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan.