World travelers and their discoveries. Modern travelers and their discoveries. Modern Russian travelers

If you think that all outstanding wanderers remained in the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, then we hasten to convince you: our contemporaries also make amazing journeys. It is these people that will be discussed.

Photo: background-pictures.picphotos.net

If we talk about the great travelers of our time, then it is impossible to ignore the unique talent of Fyodor Filippovich Konyukhov to conquer what, at first glance, is impossible to conquer. Today Konyukhov is the first of the best travelers planets that conquered the North and South Poles, the highest peaks of the world, the seas and oceans. He has more than forty expeditions to the most inaccessible places on our planet.

Descendant Northern Pomors from the Arkhangelsk province was born on the shore Sea of Azov in the fishing village of Chkalovo. His irrepressible thirst for knowledge led to the fact that already at the age of 15, Fedor crossed the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov on a fishing rowing boat. It was the first step on the way to great achievements. Over the next twenty years, Konyukhov takes part in expeditions to the North and South Poles, conquers the highest peaks, makes four trips around the world, participates in a race to dog sledding crosses the Atlantic Ocean fifteen times. In 2002, the traveler made a solo voyage across the Atlantic in a rowboat and set a record. More recently, on May 31, 2014, Konyukhov was met in Australia with several records at once. The famous Russian was the first to cross the Pacific Ocean from continent to continent. It cannot be said that Fedor Filippovich is a person fixated only on travel. In addition to the nautical school, the great traveler has the Belarusian Art School in Bobruisk and the Modern Humanitarian University in Moscow. In 1983, Fedor Konyukhov became the youngest member of the Union of Artists of the USSR. He is also the author of twelve books on own experience overcome the difficulties of travel. At the end of the legendary passage across the Pacific Ocean, Konyukhov said that he was not going to stop there. He plans new projects: flying around the world on hot-air balloon, circumnavigation for 80 days for the Jules Verne Cup on a keel yacht with a crew, diving into the Mariana Trench.

Today, this young English traveler, TV presenter and writer is known to an audience of millions thanks to the highest-rated TV show on the Discovery Channel. In October 2006, the program “Survive at all costs” began to air with his participation. The goal of the TV presenter is not only to entertain the viewer, but also to give valuable advice and recommendations that may come in handy in unforeseen situations.

Born Bear in the UK in a family of hereditary diplomats, he received an excellent education at the elite Ladgrove School and the University of London. Parents did not interfere with their son's hobby sailing, rock climbing and martial arts. But the future traveler received endurance and survival skills in the army, where he mastered skydiving and mountaineering. These skills helped him subsequently achieve his cherished goal - the conquest of Everest. This event took place at the very end of the last century, in 1998. Bear Grylls has just irrepressible energy. The list of his travels is huge. From 2000 to 2007 he sailed around british isles thirty days to raise funds for Britain's Royal Water Rescue Society; crossed on an inflatable boat North Atlantic; flew over the Angel Falls on a steam-powered plane, dined in a balloon at an altitude of more than seven thousand meters; paragliding over the Himalayas... In 2008, the traveler led an expedition organized to climb one of the most remote unclimbed peaks in Antarctica. Almost all of the expeditions Grylls participates in are charitable.

If you think that long journeys are the prerogative of the strong half of humanity, then you are deeply mistaken. And this was proved by the young American Abby Sunderland, who at the age of 16 alone made a round-the-world trip on a yacht. Interestingly, Abby's parents not only allowed her to make such a risky venture, but also helped to prepare for it. It should be noted that the girl's father is a professional sailor.

January 23, 2010 the yacht left the port of Marina Del Rey, in California. Unfortunately, the first voyage was unsuccessful. The second attempt took place on 6 February. Very soon, Abby reported damage to the yacht's hull and engine failure. At that time she was between Australia and Africa, 2 thousand miles from the coast. After that, the connection with the girl was interrupted, and nothing was known about her. The search operation was unsuccessful, and Abby was declared missing. However, a month later, a distress signal was received from the yacht from the southern part of indian ocean. After 11 hours of searching by Australian rescuers in a severe storm, a yacht was discovered in which, fortunately, Abby was safe and sound. Helped her survive large stock products and water. The girl said that all the time after the last communication session she had to overcome the storm, and she physically could not get in touch and send a radiogram. Abby's example inspires the brave in spirit to test their abilities and not stop there.

One of the most original travelers of our time spent on his unusual journey around the world as much as thirteen years of life. The non-standard situation was that Jason refused the achievements of civilization in the form of any kind of technology. The former British janitor went on his world tour with a bicycle, a boat and… roller skates!

Photo: mikaelstrandberg.com

The expedition started from Greenwich in 1994. The 27-year-old Lewis chose his friend Steve Smith as his partners. In February 1995, the travelers reached the United States. After 111 days of sailing, the friends decided to cross the states separately. In 1996, rollerblading Lewis is hit by a car. He spent nine months in the hospital. After recovering, Lewis goes to Hawaii, and from there on a pedal boat sails to Australia. On Solomon Islands he hit the epicenter civil war, and off the coast of Australia he was attacked by an alligator. Upon arriving in Australia, Lewis cuts short the trip due to financial difficulties and works for a short time at a funeral home and sells T-shirts. In 2005, he moved to Singapore, from there to China, from which he moved to India. Having traveled the country on a bicycle, the Briton reaches Africa by March 2007. The remainder of the Lewis route passes through Europe. He cycled through Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany and Belgium, then swam across the English Channel and returned to London in October 2007, completing his unique journey around the world. James Lewis proved to the whole world and to himself that there is no limit to human capabilities.

Photo: mikaelstrandberg.com

If we talk about the great travelers of our time, then it is impossible to ignore the unique talent of Fyodor Filippovich Konyukhov to conquer what, at first glance, is impossible to conquer. Today Konyukhov is the first of the best travelers on the planet, who conquered the North and South Poles, the highest peaks of the world, the seas and oceans. He has more than forty expeditions to the most inaccessible places on our planet.

A descendant of northern Pomors from the Arkhangelsk province was born on the shores of the Sea of Azov in the fishing village of Chkalovo. His irrepressible thirst for knowledge led to the fact that already at the age of 15, Fedor crossed the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov on a fishing rowing boat. It was the first step on the way to great achievements. Over the next twenty years, Konyukhov takes part in expeditions to the North and South Poles, conquers the highest peaks, makes four trips around the world, participates in a dog sled race, crosses the Atlantic Ocean fifteen times. In 2002, the traveler made a solo voyage across the Atlantic in a rowboat and set a record. More recently, on May 31, 2014, Konyukhov was met in Australia with several records at once. The famous Russian was the first to cross the Pacific Ocean from continent to continent. It cannot be said that Fedor Filippovich is a person fixated only on travel. In addition to the nautical school, the great traveler has the Belarusian Art School in Bobruisk and the Modern Humanitarian University in Moscow. In 1983, Fedor Konyukhov became the youngest member of the Union of Artists of the USSR. He is also the author of twelve books about his own experiences of overcoming the difficulties of wandering. At the end of the legendary passage across the Pacific Ocean, Konyukhov said that he was not going to stop there. He plans new projects: flying around the world in a balloon, sailing around the world in 80 days for the Jules Verne Cup on a keel yacht with a crew, diving into the Mariana Trench.

Bear Grylls

Born Bear in the UK in a family of hereditary diplomats, he received an excellent education at the elite Ladgrove School and the University of London. Parents did not interfere with their son's passion for sailing, rock climbing and martial arts. But the future traveler received endurance and survival skills in the army, where he mastered skydiving and mountaineering. These skills helped him subsequently achieve his cherished goal - the conquest of Everest. This event took place at the very end of the last century, in 1998. Bear Grylls has just irrepressible energy. The list of his travels is huge. From 2000 to 2007 he sailed around the British Isles in thirty days to raise funds for the British Royal Society for Water Rescue; crossed the North Atlantic in an inflatable boat; flew over the Angel Falls on a steam-powered plane, dined in a balloon at an altitude of more than seven thousand meters; paragliding over the Himalayas... In 2008, the traveler led an expedition organized to climb one of the most remote unclimbed peaks in Antarctica. Almost all of the expeditions Grylls participates in are charitable.

January 23, 2010 the yacht left the port of Marina Del Rey, in California. Unfortunately, the first voyage was unsuccessful. The second attempt took place on 6 February. Very soon, Abby reported damage to the yacht's hull and engine failure. At that time she was between Australia and Africa, 2 thousand miles from the coast. After that, the connection with the girl was interrupted, and nothing was known about her. The search operation was unsuccessful, and Abby was declared missing. However, a month later, a distress signal was received from the yacht from the southern part of the Indian Ocean. After 11 hours of searching by Australian rescuers in a severe storm, a yacht was discovered in which, fortunately, Abby was safe and sound. A large supply of food and water helped her survive. The girl said that all the time after the last communication session she had to overcome the storm, and she physically could not get in touch and send a radiogram. Abby's example inspires the brave in spirit to test their abilities and not stop there.

One of the most original travelers of our time spent thirteen years of his life on his unusual trip around the world. The non-standard situation was that Jason refused the achievements of civilization in the form of any kind of technology. The former British janitor went on his world tour with a bicycle, a boat and… roller skates!

The expedition started from Greenwich in 1994. The 27-year-old Lewis chose his friend Steve Smith as his partners. In February 1995, the travelers reached the United States. After 111 days of sailing, the friends decided to cross the states separately. In 1996, rollerblading Lewis is hit by a car. He spent nine months in the hospital. After recovering, Lewis goes to Hawaii, and from there on a pedal boat sails to Australia. In the Solomon Islands, he was at the epicenter of the civil war, and off the coast of Australia he was attacked by an alligator. Upon arriving in Australia, Lewis cuts short the trip due to financial difficulties and works for a short time at a funeral home and sells T-shirts. In 2005, he moved to Singapore, from there to China, from which he moved to India. Having traveled the country on a bicycle, the Briton reaches Africa by March 2007. The remainder of the Lewis route passes through Europe. He cycled through Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany and Belgium, then crossed the English Channel and returned to London in October 2007, completing his unique trip around the world. James Lewis proved to the whole world and to himself that there is no limit to human capabilities.

It seems that the days of the pioneers have already passed, there are no white spots left on the map. But it turns out that today you can travel, explore the unknown corners of the planet. Let all the continents and islands have already been discovered, let the most remote and inaccessible areas be seen from space, and the inquisitive human mind sets new tasks for itself and solves them, organizes expeditions. Who are they, modern travelers of the 21st century?

Names of modern travelers

When we remember the famous pioneers, along with the great Columbus, Magellan, Cook, Bellingshausen, Lazarev and others, we are also talking about our contemporaries. The names of Cousteau, Heyerdahl, Senkevich, Konyukhov and other researchers also sound like a hymn to the study of our planet. Modern Travelers and their discoveries are wonderful

Jacques Yves Cousteau

Cousteau - the greatest oceanographer, French scientist and researcher. This is a man who discovered the underwater world for mankind. It was with his hands that goggles for the first scuba gear were made, the first scientific vessel was equipped, studying sea depths. He owns the first films shot underwater.

For the first time, a person got the opportunity to move freely in the water column and descend to depths of up to 90 m. Under the leadership of Cousteau, the first underwater expeditions were organized. At first these were archaeological research at the bottom of the ocean and photographing at depths of several kilometers.

When Cousteau created the "underwater saucer" - a mini-submarine, the possibilities for studying the water column increased dramatically. The continuation was the foundation of temporary underwater scientific stations, where modern travelers lived for several months and could make observations directly at sea.

The result of many years of Cousteau's work on the study underwater world became books and films that were very popular: "In the world of silence", "World without the sun", "Cousteau's Underwater Odyssey". From 1957 he headed the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco. In 1973, the Cousteau Society for the Protection of Marine Nature was founded.

Among his honorary awards, he considered the Order of the Legion of Honor to be the main one. Cousteau died in 1997 in Paris.

Thor Heyerdahl

This name is also familiar to anyone who has even the slightest interest in travel. Thor Heyerdahl became famous for the sea voyages undertaken to prove his point of view on the settlement different districts peace.

Heyerdahl was the first to put forward the idea that the islands of Polynesia could be inhabited by people from South America. To prove this theory, modern travelers under his leadership made an unparalleled voyage on the Kon-Tiki balsa raft across the Pacific Ocean. Having overcome about 8 thousand km in 101 days, the expedition reached the Tuamotu Islands. At the same time, the raft retained its buoyancy, and if it were not for the storm, it could certainly have reached the shores of Asia.

This was followed by expeditions on reed boats "Ra" and "Ra-2", in which our compatriot Yuri Senkevich took part. The boat "Tigris", which was supposed to show the possibility of connections between Mesopotamia and the Hindustan Peninsula, was burned by the crew in protest against military operations off the coast of Djibouti, and the expedition was not completed.

Heyerdahl did not agree with the scientific world on many issues and put forward his theories. For many years he studied the mysteries of Easter Island, especially the origin of the famous stone idols. Tour claimed that these giant statues could be made and delivered to the place by the natives of the island, who did not have modern tools for stone processing and vehicles. And the results of his research were sensational, although not recognized by most scientists.

Of the controversial theories of Heyerdahl, we also note the version of the connections between the Vikings and the inhabitants of the Caucasus and Azov. He believed that the Vikings came from North Caucasus. But his death in 2002 prevented him from proving this theory.

Numerous books by Heyerdahl about his views on world exploration and travel, documentaries, shot about them, still remain very exciting and interesting for any person.

Yuri Senkevich

A modern Russian traveler and host of the most popular TV program in our country "Travel Club", a polar explorer, he participated in the 12th Soviet Antarctic expedition.

In 1969, when organizing an expedition to Ra, Thor Heyerdahl wrote a letter to the USSR Academy of Sciences inviting a doctor with good knowledge of in English, with experience in expeditions and a sense of humor. The choice fell on Senkevich. Cheerful and cheerful, with an optimistic outlook on life and the skills of a practicing doctor, Yuri quickly became friends with Heyerdahl and other team members.

Subsequently, they participated in expeditions more than once. famous Norwegian. Many of Heyerdahl's studies became known to the Soviet viewer immediately thanks to the TV show hosted by Yuri Senkevich. The "Cinema Travel Club" became for many a window into the world, allowing them to get acquainted with interesting places the globe. The guests of the program were modern travelers: Heyerdahl, Cousteau, Jacek Palkiewicz, Carlo Mauri and many others.

Senkevich took part in the medical support of expeditions to the North Pole and Everest. Yuri Alexandrovich died in 2006 on the set of another TV show.

Tim Severin

Many modern travelers follow the routes of seafarers and pioneers of the past. One of the most famous is Briton Tim Severin.

He made his first journey in the footsteps of Marco Polo on motorcycles. Leaving Venice, Severin and his comrades crossed almost all of Asia and reached the borders of China. Here the journey had to be completed, as permission to visit the country was not received. Further study followed (while sailing along it in a canoe and motor boat). The next expedition is on the route of St. Brendan across the Atlantic Ocean.

Inspired by the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor, Severin made the transition from Oman to China on sailing ship, guided only by the stars.

In 1984, Severin, with a team of 20 rowers, repeated the route of the Argonauts to Colchis (Western Georgia). And the next year he traveled in the footsteps of Odysseus from the imperishable poem of the same name by Homer.

These are just some of Severin's routes. He wrote fascinating books about his adventures, and for "The Journey of Sinbad" he was awarded the prestigious Thomas Cook Prize.

Modern travelers of the 21st century

Despite the fact that the yard is the 21st century, the spirit of love for adventure and travel has not faded. And now there are people who cannot sit at home in comfort, they are attracted by the unknown, the unknown.

Among them there are also modern travelers of Russia. Perhaps the most famous of them is Fedor Konyukhov.

Fedor Konyukhov

"First" is often added to his name. He was the first Russian to visit the three poles of the Earth: North, South and Everest. He was the first on Earth to conquer five poles - the Pole of Inaccessibility in Antarctica and Cape Horn, considered such for yachtsmen, were added to the previous ones. He was the first Russian to overcome the "big seven" - he climbed the most high peaks all continents, counting Europe and Asia separately.

He has many expeditions, mostly extreme ones. Konyukhov traveled four times on a yacht around the world. Member of the ski crossing "USSR - North Pole - Canada".

His books are read in one breath. And in the plans for the future - a round-the-world trip in a hot air balloon.

Dmitry Shparo

Let's make a reservation right away: this is a polar traveler and explorer. Back in 1970, he led a ski expedition to the islands of Komsomolskaya Pravda. Three years later he traveled to Taimyr in search of the warehouse of the famous polar explorer Eduard Toll. In 1979, under his leadership, the world's first skiing expedition to the North Pole was made.

One of the most famous campaigns - to Canada through the Northern Arctic Ocean as part of a joint Soviet-Canadian expedition.

In 1998, together with his son, he crossed on skis. In 2008, he organized two expeditions to the North Pole. One of them is famous for the world's first reaching the Pole on skis at night. And the second was attended by young people aged 16-18 years.

Dmitry Shparo - organizer of the Adventure Club. The institution holds marathons across the country with the participation of people confined to wheelchairs. The most famous was the international ascent to Kazbek of wheelchair users from Transcaucasia, Norway and Russia.

Modern Travelers

Geography modern travel very extensive. Basically, these are little-studied and hard-to-reach areas of the Earth. These hikes most often take place in extreme conditions, requiring the exertion of all forces.

Of course, it is difficult to cover all the names in one article. Anatoly Khizhnyak, who explores little-studied tribes in the Amazon jungle and papua new guinea... Naomi Uemura, who single-handedly made a trip to the North Pole, sailed through the Amazon, conquered Mont Blanc, Matterhorn, Kilimanjaro, Akonkugua, Everest ... the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders of the world ... One can write about each of them a separate book. Their adventures inspire travelers.

For some people, travel is not a process, but the meaning of life. We invite you to learn about 6 people who not only changed our idea of travel, but also significantly influenced the world as a whole.

Jason Lewis: Traveler who traveled around the world in 13 years without using trains, planes, boats or cars.

“They tell me:“ You are cool! ”, - And I think that the one who goes to work five days a week is cool. This "hamster in the wheel" is a real superhero for me. How does he do it?

Jimmy Nelson: Indigenous photographer Pacific Ocean And Far North, which are so few that they can disappear completely at any time.

“I spent about three years next to the 29 most rare tribes living in 44 countries, describing their rituals, photographing their clothes, jewelry, weapons, symbols.

I wanted to more artistically show the everyday life of the last, in my opinion, truly beautiful people on the planet. A photograph is, in fact, just a decoration that hides real story people who live the most isolated and, in my opinion, the happiest life. And all because they exist in complete harmony with themselves and the small world around them.

Paul Salopek: the first traveler to cross the Hejaz deserts on foot in Saudi Arabia.

Paul Salopek, twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his work. For many years he worked as a foreign correspondent in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Balkan Peninsula and in Latin American countries.

"In the Hijaz - legendary area disappeared Hashemite Kingdom, which once ruled the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia - there are abandoned and popular wells. There are wells where an atmosphere of sorrow or joy reigns - and in each the Universe is enclosed.

Maria Leijerstam: the first person to reach the South Pole by bicycle

35-year-old British-born Maria Leijerstam conquered the South Pole in a three-wheeled transport, a trike, overtaking male competitors and setting a world record. Temperatures at the South Pole can reach -92 degrees Celsius.

"Travelers can only truly appreciate the beauty of a place if it has taken them a lot of effort to get there."

Don Parrish: a traveler who has visited almost everything geographic locations in the world.

On this moment Donald Parrish, a Polish American, has visited 847 places around the globe. To complete his journey, he had to go to 28 more places.

He studies the history of all the countries where he has been. He consciously decided not to have a family, he has no children and, having sufficient capital, he is completely free to achieve his goal.

Lavison Wood: photojournalist, first person in the world to walk 6,500 kilometers along the Nile.

The former British Army paratrooper loves to travel, especially through the impenetrable jungles of Africa. It was from this passion that his long journey began.

"I'd rather take the risk and see with my own eyes than rely on frankly biased media."

If these people inspired you to travel, then

The exploration of our planet took place over several centuries, and many people distinguished themselves, whose names and merits are recorded in many historical books. All the great travelers sought to escape from the routine of existence and look at the world with different eyes. Thirst for new knowledge, curiosity, desire to expand known horizons - all these qualities were inherent in each of them.

About history and travelers

The history of mankind should be taken as a history of travel. It is impossible to understand what would be modern world, if previous civilizations did not send travelers to the borders then unknown world. The thirst for travel is inherent in the human DNA, because he has always sought to explore something and expand his own world.

The first people 100,000 years ago began to colonize the world, moving from Africa to Asia and Europe. In the era of the Middle Ages and modern times, travelers went to unknown countries in search of gold, glory, new lands, or they simply ran away from their miserable existence and poverty. However, all great travelers have possessed the impulse of force of the same nature, the never-ending fuel of explorers - curiosity. Just something that a person does not know or does not understand is enough to create an alluring and irresistible force that cannot be resisted. Further, the article presents the exploits of the great travelers and their discoveries, which had a huge impact on the process of the formation of mankind. The following individuals are noted:

Herodotus;
Ibn Battuta;
Marco Polo;
Christopher Columbus;
Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastian Elcano;
James Cook;
Charles Darwin;
explorers of Africa and Antarctica;
famous Russian travelers.

Father of modern history - Herodotus

The famous Greek philosopher, Herodotus, lived in the 5th century BC. His first journey was exile, as Herodotus was accused of plotting against the tyrant of Halicarnassus, Lygdamis. During this link, great traveler travels throughout the Middle East. He describes all his discoveries and acquired knowledge in 9 books, thanks to which Herodotus received the nickname of the father of history. It is interesting to note that another famous historian ancient Greece, Plutarch, gave Herodotus the nickname "father of lies." In his books, Herodotus tells about distant countries and about the cultures of many peoples, information about which the philosopher collected during his travels.

The stories of the great traveler are filled with political, philosophical and geographical reflections. They also contain sexual stories, myths and crime stories. Herodotus' writing style is semi-artistic. Modern historians consider the work of Herodotus to be a paradigm of curiosity. The historical and geographical knowledge brought by Herodotus had big influence for development Greek culture. Geographic map, which Herodotus compiled, and which included the limits from the Danube to the Nile, and from Iberia to India, over the next 1000 years determined the horizons of the world known at that time. It should be noted that the scientist was very worried that the knowledge he had gained would not be lost by mankind over time, and therefore he outlined them in detail in his 9 books.

Ibn Battuta (1302 - 1368)

Like every Muslim, twenty-year-old Battuta began his pilgrimage from the city of Tangier to Mecca on the back of a donkey. He could not even think that he would return to his hometown only 25 years later, with huge wealth and a whole harem of wives after he makes the journey for the most part peace. If you wonder what great travelers first explored the Muslim world, then you can safely call Ibn Battuta. He traveled to all countries, from the kingdom of Granada in Spain to China, and from Caucasus mountains to the city of Timbuktu, which is located in the Republic of Mali. This great traveler traveled 120,000 kilometers, met more than 40 sultans and emperors, was an ambassador to various sultans, and survived a number of disasters. Ibn Battuta always traveled with a large retinue, and in each new place he was treated as an important person.

Modern historians note that in the first half of the 14th century, when Ibn Battuta made his travels, the Islamic world was at the peak of its existence, which allowed the traveler to quickly and easily move through many territories.

Like Marco Polo, Battuta did not write his book ("Travel"), but dictated his stories to the Granadian erudite Ibn Khuzai. This work reflects Battuta's lust for enjoying life, which includes tales of sex and blood.

Marco Polo (1254 - 1324)

Marco Polo is one of the important names of great travelers. The book of the Venetian merchant Marco Polo, which tells in detail about his travels, became very popular even 2 centuries before the invention of printing. Marco Polo traveled the world for 24 years. Upon returning to his homeland, he was imprisoned during the war between the trading powers of the Mediterranean: Genoa and Venice. In prison, he dictated stories about his travels to one of his neighbors in misfortune. As a result, in 1298 a book appeared, which was called "Description of the world, dictated by Marco."

Marco Polo, along with his father and uncle, who were famous merchants in jewelry and silk, set off at the age of 17 on a trip to the Far East. During his trip, the great geographical traveler visited such forgotten places like the island of Hormuz, the Gobi desert, the coasts of Vietnam and India. Marco knew 5 foreign languages, was the representative of the great Mongol Khan Kublai Khan for 17 years.

Note that Marco Polo was not the first European to visit Asia, however, he was the first to draw up its detailed geographical description. His book is a mixture of truth and fiction, which is why many historians question most of its facts. On his deathbed, a priest asked Marco Polo, who was 70 years old, to confess his lies, to which the great traveler replied that he had not said even half of what he had seen.

Christopher Columbus (1451 - 1506)

Talking about travelers great era discoveries, first of all, we should mention Christopher Columbus, who shifted the backbone of the human economy to the west and marked the beginning of a new era in history. Historians note that when Columbus sailed to the discovery of the New World, the word "gold" is most often found in the entries of his logbook, and not the word "land".

Christopher Columbus, given the information provided by Marco Polo, believed he could achieve Far East full of gold and riches, sailing west. As a result, on August 2, 1492, he sails from Spain on three ships and heads west. The journey across the Atlantic Ocean lasted longer than 2 months, and on October 11, Rodrigo Triana saw land from the ship La Pinta. This day radically changed the lives of Europeans and Americans.

Like many great travelers of the era of great discoveries, Columbus died in 1506 in poverty in the city of Valladolid. Columbus didn't know what he discovered new continent, but thought that he managed to swim to India through the west.

Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastian Elcano (XVI century)

One of amazing routes great travelers of the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, is the route of Ferdinand Magellan, when he was able to get through a narrow strait from Atlantic Ocean in the Pacific, which Magellan so named in honor of its calm waters.

In the 16th century, there was a serious race for dominance on the seas and oceans between Portugal and Spain, historians compare this race with the race for space exploration between the USA and the USSR. As Portugal dominated African coast, Spain was looking for ways to get to the spice islands (modern Indonesia) and to India through the west. Ferdinand Magellan became just the navigator who was supposed to find new way to the East through the West.

In September 1519, 5 ships with a total of 237 sailors set off for the West, led by Ferdinand Magellan. Three years later, only one ship returned with 18 sailors on board, led by Juan Sebastian Elcano. It was the first time that a man swam around the entire globe. The great traveler Ferdinand Magellan himself died in the Philippine Islands.

James Cook (1728-1779)

This British great traveler is considered the most famous explorer of the Pacific Ocean. He left his parents' farm and became a great captain in the Royal Navy. He made three great voyages from 1768 to 1779, which filled in many blank spots on the maps of the Pacific. All of Cook's travels were undertaken by the UK to achieve a range of geographic and botanical objectives in Oceania, Australia and New Zealand.

Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882)

Few people know that in the story of the great travelers and their discoveries, the name of Charles Darwin, who, at the age of 22, went on a trip on the Beagle brigantine in 1831 to explore east coast South America. On this journey, Charles Darwin sailed around the world in 5 years, while collecting huge information about the flora and fauna of our planet, which turned out to be key to Darwin's theory of the evolution of living organisms.

After this long journey, the scientist locked himself in his house in Kent in order to carefully study the collected material and draw the right conclusions. In 1859, that is, 23 years after the world travel, Charles Darwin publishes his work "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection", the main thesis of which was that it is not the strongest living organisms that survive, but the most adapted to environmental conditions.

Exploring Africa

The great travelers who have distinguished themselves in the exploration of Africa are mainly the British. One of the famous explorers of the black continent is Dr. Livingston, who distinguished himself in research central regions Africa. Livingston owns the discovery of the Victoria Falls. This man is a national hero of Great Britain.

Other famous Britons who distinguished themselves in the exploration of Africa are John Speke and Richard Francis Burton, who made many trips to the African continent in the second half of the 19th century. Their most famous journey is the search for the source of the Nile.

Exploration of Antarctica

Exploration of the icy southern continent - Antarctica marked new stage in the history of mankind. Briton Robert Scott and Norwegian Roald Amundsen distinguished themselves in the conquest of the South Pole. Scott was an explorer and officer in the Royal Navy of Britain, he led 2 expeditions to Antarctica, and on January 17, 1912, he, along with five members of his team, reached the South Pole, however, the Norwegian Amundsen was ahead of him by several weeks. The entire expedition of Robert Scott died, freezing in the icy desert of Antarctica. Amundsen, in turn, having visited on December 14, 1911 south pole was able to return to his homeland alive.

First female traveler

The thirst for travel and new discoveries was characteristic not only of men, but also of women. So, the first woman traveler, about whom there is reliable evidence, was the Galician (northwestern part of Spain) Echeria in the 4th century AD. Her travels were connected with the holy lands and pilgrimages. So, it is known that within 3 years she visited Constantinople, Jerusalem, Sinai, Mesopotamia and Egypt. It is unknown if Echeria returned to her homeland.

Great Russian travelers who expanded the borders of Russia

Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of area. In many ways, this fame is due to Russian travelers and researchers. Great travelers in the table below are given.

Russian travelers - explorers of the planet

Among them, Ivan Kruzenshtern should be noted, who was the first Russian to travel around the globe. We also mention Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay, who was a famous navigator and explorer of Oceania and South-East Asia. Let us also mention Nikolai Przhevalsky, who was one of the most famous explorers of Central Asia in the world.