A short message about the modern traveler. Famous geographers and travelers - bibliologist

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If you think that with the departure of the Age of the Great geographical discoveries outstanding travelers have sunk into oblivion, then you are mistaken! Our contemporaries also made the most amazing journeys. Among them are scientists who went in search of evidence for their theories, researchers sea ​​depths, and just adventurers who dared to go to trip around the world alone or with like-minded people. Much has been written about their travels. documentaries, and thanks to them, we can see the whole world through their eyes, real, alive, full of dangers and adventures.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Captain Cousteau is a famous French explorer of the World Ocean, author of books and films, inventor. The oceans revealed many of its secrets, showed the beauty of its depths still inaccessible to people for a huge number of diving enthusiasts. We can say that Captain Cousteau is the father of modern diving, because it was he who created the main apparatus for diving. Being engaged in research of the underwater world of our planet, Cousteau created the famous floating laboratory "Callisto" and the first apparatus for diving "Denise". Jacques-Yves Cousteau captivated millions of people by showing them on movie screens how beautiful undersea world, giving the opportunity to see what was still inaccessible to man.

Thor Heyerdahl

The name of the most famous Norwegian of the 20th century on his mother tongue spelled "Thor", the same as the name of one of the main gods of Norse mythology, Thor. He made many trips on makeshift watercrafts of contacts between ancient civilizations. Heyerdahl proved in practice his theory about visiting residents South America the islands of Polynesia, as the scientific world did not perceive his ideas. Together with his team, in 101 days, having sailed 4300 miles, he reached the atoll of Raroia. It was one of his most famous travels"Expedition Kon-Tiki" on a makeshift raft. The film he shot during his trip won an Oscar in 1951. And in 1969, he went on a new dangerous expedition on a papyrus boat to prove, to prove the possibility of crossing the Atlantic Ocean by African peoples. However, the first journey of Thor Heyerdahl on the boat "Ra" ended in failure, the boat sank, not reaching just 600 miles from the island of Barbados. A year later, the stubborn Norwegian repeated his journey and sailed from Morocco to Barbados in 57 days. By the way, our compatriot Yuri Senkevich was the doctor on this expedition. Heyerdahl later visited Maldives, in Peru and Tenerife.

Yuri Senkevich

The popular TV presenter of the "Club of Travelers" program Yuri Senkevich was included in the list of the most famous travelers not only as the doctor of the Thor Heyerdahl expedition. His "track record" of the traveler is respected:

as a medical researcher, Senkevich was trained to participate in a space flight, participated in the 12th Antarctic expedition to the Vostok station in order to study human behavior in extreme conditions, traveled to papyrus boat"Ra", then on the "Ra-2" and in the Indian Ocean on the "Tigris". Millions of Soviet TV viewers were able to see the world, as they joked then "through the eyes of Senkevich." By the way, the program "Cinema Travel Club", the program was listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Nikolay Drozdov

More than 40 years ago, Nikolai Nikolaevich Drozdov became the host of the popular TV show "In the Animal World". An avid traveler, a "gallant know-it-all", who spends hours talking about animals as the most wonderful and beautiful creatures in the world - be it an elephant, a bug, or even a poisonous snake. An amazing and wonderful person, the idol of millions of viewers of our country, listening to stories about interesting facts from the life of birds, reptiles, domestic and wild animals, about the beauty of our nature - and incomparable pleasure, because only a person in love with life can tell like that. Interesting fact about Nikolai Nikolayevich himself - his great-great-great-grandfather was Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow, and his maternal great-great-grandfather Ivan Romanovich von Dreiling was an orderly of Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov.

Nikolai Drozdov traveled the whole world, all zoological and National parks, studying the habitats and habits of animals in natural conditions, climbed Elbrus, participated in a long expedition on the research vessel "Kallisto" and in the first Soviet expedition to Everest, twice went to the North Pole, passed along the Northern Sea Route on the icebreaker "Yamal", sailed along the coasts of Alaska and Canada on the "Discoverer".

Fedor Konyukhov

A lone traveler who cut what seemed impossible to conquer, more than once overcame a path that could not be walked alone - the great contemporary Fyodor Konyukhov. The first among travelers who conquered the North and South Poles, the seas, oceans and highest peaks world, which is proved by more than 40 expeditions made by him to the most inaccessible places on our planet. Among them are five round-the-world trips, a solo voyage across the Atlantic (which, by the way, he crossed more than once) on a rowboat. Konyukhov was the first to cross the Pacific Ocean from continent to continent. But the life of our distinguished compatriot is not filled with travel alone - Fedor Konyukhov became the youngest member of the Union of Artists of the USSR and the author of twelve travel books. There were also new plans ahead: flying around the world in a balloon and circumnavigating the world in 80 days for the Jules Verne Cup, as well as diving into Mariana Trench. However, having received the priesthood in 2010, Fedor Konyukhov decided not to travel anymore, but ... the ways of the Lord are inscrutable and famous traveler again at the helm. In the spring of this year, he "beat" the Russian record and stayed in the air on a balloon for 19 hours and 10 minutes.

Bear Grylls

Fame came to the young English traveler thanks to the highest-rated TV show on the Discovery channel, Survive at Any Cost, which first aired in October 2006. TV presenter and traveler not just "entertains" the audience great views most amazing places planet, its goal is to bring to the audience life recommendations that may come in handy in unforeseen situations.

The list of his travels is respected: he sailed around the British Isles in thirty days, crossed in an inflatable boat North Atlantic, flew over the Angel Falls in a steam-powered plane, flew over the Himalayas on a paraglider, led an expedition to one of the furthest unclimbed peaks in Antarctica, and arranged ... a gala dinner in a balloon at an altitude of more than seven thousand meters! Most of Grylls' expeditions are for charitable purposes.

Abby Sunderland

Not only men can boast of friendship with the wind of wandering - Abby Sunderland, a young traveler who at the age of 16 alone made a trip around the world on a yacht, will give odds to many men. The determination of Abby's parents is surprising, because they not only allowed her to participate in such a dangerous enterprise, but also helped to prepare for it. Alas, the first start on January 23, 2010 was unsuccessful and Abby made a second attempt on February 6. The journey turned out to be more dangerous than expected: between Australia and Africa, 2 thousand miles from the coast, the yacht's hull was damaged and the engine failed. After this message, communication was interrupted, the search for Abby's yacht was unsuccessful, and she was declared missing. A whole month later, Australian rescuers in the zone of the most severe storm found the lost yacht and Abby alive and unharmed. Who then will say that a woman has no place on a ship?

Jason Lewis

And, finally, the most original of modern travelers, who spent 13 years on a round-the-world trip! Why so long? The simple fact is that Jason refused any kind of technology and all sorts of achievements of civilization. The former janitor, along with his friend Steve Smith, went around the world on a bicycle, boat and rollerblades! The expedition started from Greenwich in 1994, in February 1995 the travelers reached the shores of the United States and after 111 days of sailing decided to cross America separately on roller skates. Lewis had to interrupt the journey for 9 months after an accident. After recovering, Lewis goes to Hawaii, from where he sails on a pedal boat to Australia, where he had to spend some time earning money for onward travel… selling T-shirts. In 2005, he reaches Singapore, then crosses China and India on a bicycle. By March 2007, he reached Africa and also crossed all of Europe on a bicycle: Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany and Belgium. Having crossed the English Channel, in October 2007, Jason Lewis returned to London.

They are always attracted by the horizon line, an endless strip that goes into the distance. Their faithful friends are ribbons of roads leading to the unknown, mysterious and mysterious. They were the first to push the boundaries, opening up new lands to mankind and amazing beauty metrics. These people are the most famous travelers.

Travelers who made the most important discoveries

Three-quarters of Columbus' life was spent sailing. He traveled on Portuguese ships, managed to live in Lisbon and the British Isles. Stopping for a short time in a foreign land, he constantly drew geographical maps, made new travel plans.

It still remains a mystery how he managed to plan himself shortcut from Europe to India. His calculations were based on the discoveries of the 15th century and on the fact that the Earth is spherical.

Having gathered 90 volunteers in 1492-1493, on three ships he set off on a journey through Atlantic Ocean. He became the discoverer of the central part of the Bahamas, the Greater and Lesser Antilles. He owns the discovery of the North east coast Cuba.

The second expedition, which lasted from 1493 to 1496, already consisted of 17 ships and 2.5 thousand people. He discovered the islands of Dominica, Small Antilles, island of Puerto Rico. After 40 days of sailing, having arrived in Castile, he notified the government of the opening of a new route to Asia.

After 3 years, having collected 6 ships, he led an expedition across the Atlantic. In Haiti, because of the denunciation of the envious of his successes, Columbus was arrested and shackled. He received liberation, but he kept the chains all his life, as a symbol of betrayal.

He was the discoverer of America. Until the end of his life, he mistakenly believed that it was connected to Asia by a thin isthmus. He believed that it was he who opened the sea route to India, although history later showed the fallacy of his delusions.

Vasco da Gama. He was lucky to live in the era of the great geographical discoveries. Perhaps that is why he dreamed of traveling and dreamed of becoming a discoverer of uncharted lands.

He was a nobleman. The family was not the most noble, but had ancient roots. As a young man, he became interested in mathematics, navigation and astronomy. Since childhood, he hated secular society, playing the piano and French, which noble nobles tried to "shine".

Decisiveness and organizational skills made Vasco da Gama close to Emperor Charles VIII, who, having decided to create an expedition to open a sea route to India, appointed him the main one.

At his disposal were provided 4 new ships specially built for the voyage. Vasco da Gama was supplied with the latest navigational instruments and provided naval artillery.

A year later, the expedition reached the shores of India, stopping in the first city of Calicut (Kozhikode). Despite the cold meeting of the natives and even military clashes, the goal was achieved. Vasco da Gama became the discoverer sea ​​route to India.

They discovered the mountainous and desert regions of Asia, made bold expeditions to Far North, they "wrote" history, glorifying the Russian land.

Great Russian travelers

The famous naturalist Ernst Haeckel became interested in the 19-year-old guy, inviting him to his expedition to study marine fauna.

In 1869, having returned to St. Petersburg, he enlisted the support of the Russian Geographical Society, went to study New Guinea. It took a year to prepare the expedition. He sailed to the shore of the Coral Sea, and when he stepped on the ground he did not even guess that the descendants of this place would call his name.

Having lived for more than a year in New Guinea, he not only discovered new lands, but also taught the natives how to grow corn, pumpkin, beans and fruit trees. He studied the life of the natives on the island of Java, the Louisiades and Solomon Islands. He spent 3 years in Australia.

He died at 42. Doctors diagnosed him with severe deterioration of the body.

Afanasy Nikitin is the first Russian traveler to visit India and Persia. Returning back, he visited Somalia, Turkey and Muscat. His notes "Journey Beyond Three Seas" have become valuable historical and literary aids. He simply and truthfully outlined medieval India in his notes.

A native of a peasant family proved that even a poor person can make a trip to India. The main thing is to set a goal.

The world has not revealed all its secrets to man. Until now, there are people who dream of opening the veil of unknown worlds.

Notable modern travelers

And let the era of great discoveries be long behind us. It doesn't matter that the Earth has been photographed thousands of times from space. Let travelers and discoverers open all places the globe. He, like a child, believes that there is still a lot of unknown things in the world.

He has 40 expeditions and ascents to his credit. He crossed the seas and oceans, was at the North and South Poles, made 4 round-the-world voyages, crossed the Atlantic 15 times. Of these, once on a rowboat. Most he traveled alone.

Everyone knows his name. His programs had millions of viewers. He is the one great person who gave this world the unusual beauty of nature, hidden from view in the bottomless depths. Fedor Konyukhov visited different places on our planet, including the hottest place in Russia, which is located in Kalmykia. The site has Jacques-Yves Cousteau, perhaps the most famous traveler in the world

Even during the war, he continued his experiments and studies of the underwater world. He decided to devote the first film to sunken ships. And the Germans, who occupied France, allowed him to engage in research activities and filming.

He dreamed of a ship that would be equipped with modern technology for filming and observation. He was helped by a complete stranger who gave Cousteau a small military minesweeper. After renovation work, it became famous ship"Calypso".

The crew of the ship were researchers: a journalist, a navigator, a geologist, a volcanologist. His assistant and companion was his wife. Later, 2 of his sons also took part in all expeditions.

Cousteau recognized the best specialist underwater research. He received an offer to head the famous Oceanographic Museum in Monaco. He not only studied the underwater world, but also engaged in activities to protect the marine and ocean habitats.
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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 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.

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 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.

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. 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!

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. In the 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

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 the modern world would be like 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. The geographical map that Herodotus drew up, which included the limits from the Danube to the Nile, and from Iberia to India, for 1000 subsequent 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 vast wealth and a harem of wives after having traveled most of the world. 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 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 of the 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 the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, 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 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 great travelers and their discoveries, the name of Charles Darwin, who, at the age of 22, set off on a journey on the Beagle brigantine in 1831 to explore the eastern coast of South America, must necessarily be mentioned. 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 circumnavigation of the world, Charles Darwin published his work On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, the main thesis of which was that not the strongest living organisms 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. We also note Nikolai Przhevalsky, who was one of the most famous researchers Central Asia in the world.

Russian navigators, along with European ones, are the most famous pioneers who discovered new continents, sections of mountain ranges and vast water areas. They became the discoverers of significant geographical objects, took the first steps in the development of hard-to-reach territories, and traveled around the world. So who are they - the conquerors of the seas, and what exactly did the world learn about thanks to them?

Afanasy Nikitin - the very first Russian traveler

He was able to prove that even as a member of a poor peasant family, one can become famous researcher and traveller. Streets, embankments in several Russian cities, motor ship, passenger train and aircraft.

Semyon Dezhnev, who founded the Anadyr prison

In 1643, as part of a detachment of explorers, Semyon Ivanovich discovered Kolyma, where he founded the city of Srednekolymsk with his associates. A year later, Semyon Dezhnev continued his expedition, walked along Bering Strait(which did not yet have this name) and opened the most east point mainland, later named Cape Dezhnev. An island, a peninsula, a bay, a village also bear his name.

In 1648, Dezhnev set off again. His ship was wrecked in the waters located in the southern part of the Anadyr River. Having reached on skis, the sailors went up the river and stayed there for the winter. Subsequently, this place appeared on geographical maps and received the name Anadyr prison. As a result of the expedition, the traveler was able to make detailed descriptions, make a map of those places.

Vitus Jonassen Bering, who organized expeditions to Kamchatka

The discovery of the Kamchatka and Ozerny peninsulas, the bays of Kamchatsky, the Cross, the Karaginsky, the Bay of Conduct, the island of St. Lawrence are also the merit of Bering and Chirikov. At the same time, another strait was found and described, which later became known as the Bering Strait.

The second expedition was undertaken by them in order to find a way to North America and exploration of the Pacific Islands. On this journey, Bering and Chirikov founded the Peter and Paul prison. It got its name from the combined names of their ships ("Saint Peter" and "Saint Paul") and subsequently became the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

On the approach to the shores of America, the ships of like-minded people lost sight of each other, heavy fog affected. "Saint Peter", driven by Bering, sailed to the west coast of America, but got into a severe storm on the way back - the ship was thrown onto an island. The last minutes of Vitus Bering's life passed on it, and the island subsequently began to bear his name. Chirikov also reached America on his ship, but successfully completed his voyage, finding several islands of the Aleutian ridge on the way back.

Khariton and Dmitry Laptev and their “named” sea

Each of the brothers made a significant contribution to the development of new territories. Dmitry became the first navigator to survey the coast from the mouth of the Lena to the mouth of the Kolyma. He made detailed maps of these places, based on mathematical calculations and astronomical data.

Khariton Laptev and his associates conducted research on the northernmost section of the coast of Siberia. It was he who determined the size and shape of the huge Taimyr Peninsula - he surveyed its eastern coast, was able to identify the exact coordinates offshore islands. The expedition took place in difficult conditions - a large number of ice, snowstorms, scurvy, ice captivity - Khariton Laptev's team had to endure a lot. But they continued the work they had begun. On this expedition, Laptev's assistant Chelyuskin discovered the cape, which was later named after him.

Noting the great contribution of the Laptevs to the development of new territories, members of the Russian geographical society decided to name one of them after them. largest seas Arctic. Also, the strait between the mainland and Bolshoi Lyakhovsky Island is named after Dmitry, and the western coast of Taimyr Island bears the name of Khariton.

Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky - organizers of the first Russian circumnavigation

This trip allowed us to collect important information. Based on the data obtained by navigators, a detailed map Pacific Ocean. Another important outcome of the first Russian round the world expedition data obtained on the flora and fauna of the Kuriles and Kamchatka, local residents, their customs and cultural traditions.

During their journey, the sailors crossed the equator and, according to maritime traditions, could not leave this event without a well-known ritual - a sailor dressed as Neptune greeted Krusenstern and asked why his ship arrived where the Russian flag had never been. To which he received the answer that they are here solely for the glory and development of national science.

Vasily Golovnin - the first navigator who was rescued from Japanese captivity

The leadership set the goal of a round-the-world expedition to study the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, with special attention to that part of it that is within the borders of the native country. The path of "Diana" was not easy. The sloop passed the island of Tristan da Cunha, passed the Cape of Hope and entered the port, which belonged to the British. Here the ship was detained by the authorities. The British informed Golovnin about the outbreak of war between the two countries. The Russian ship was not declared captured, but the crew was not allowed to leave the bay either. After spending more than a year in this position, in mid-May 1809, the Diana, led by Golovnin, tried to escape, which the sailors successfully succeeded in - the ship arrived in Kamchatka.

Golovnin received his next responsible task in 1811 - he was supposed to compile descriptions of the Shantar and Kuril Islands, the shores of the Tatar Strait. During his journey, he was accused of not adhering to the principles of sakoku and was captured by the Japanese for more than 2 years. It was possible to rescue the crew from captivity only thanks to the good relations of one of the Russian naval officers and an influential Japanese merchant, who was able to convince his government of the harmless intentions of the Russians. It is worth noting that no one in history has ever returned from Japanese captivity before.

In 1817-1819, Vasily Mikhailovich made another round-the-world trip on the Kamchatka ship specially built for this.

Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev - discoverers of Antarctica

The results of this expedition exceeded all expectations. During the 751 days that it lasted, Bellingshausen and Lazarev were able to make several significant geographical discoveries. Of course, the most important of them is the existence of Antarctica, it is historical event happened on January 28, 1820. Also during the trip, about two dozen islands were found and mapped, sketches were created with views of Antarctica, images of representatives of the Antarctic fauna.

Interestingly, attempts to discover Antarctica were made more than once, but none of them were successful. European navigators believed that either it did not exist, or it was located in places that simply could not be reached by sea. But the Russian travelers had enough perseverance and determination, so the names of Bellingshausen and Lazarev are included in the lists the greatest sailors peace.

There are also modern travelers. One of them .