Geographical objects in honor of the discoverers. What geographical objects named after great navigators do you know? F.P.Litke Research of Novaya Zemlya

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Russian travelers in the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th centuries. Names of the discoverers and their discoveries.

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 pioneers 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

Afanasy Nikitin is rightfully considered the first Russian traveler who managed to visit India and Persia (1468-1474, according to other sources 1466-1472). On the way back he visited Somalia, Turkey, and Muscat. Based on his travels, Afanasy compiled the notes “Walking across the Three Seas,” which became popular and unique historical and literary aids. These notes became the first book in Russian history not written in the format of a story about a pilgrimage, but describing the political, economic and cultural features of the territories.

Semyon Dezhnev, who founded the Anadyr fortress

Cossack ataman Semyon Dezhnev was an Arctic navigator who became the discoverer of a number of geographical objects. Wherever Semyon Ivanovich served, everywhere he sought to study new and previously unknown things. He was even able to cross the East Siberian Sea on a homemade kocha, going from Indigirka to Alazeya.

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

Semyon Dezhnev

In 1648, Dezhnev hit the road again. His ship was wrecked in the waters located in the southern part of the Anadyr River. Having arrived 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 Anadyrsky fort. As a result of the expedition, the traveler was able to do detailed descriptions, make a map of those places.

Vitus Jonassen Bering, who organized expeditions to Kamchatka

Two Kamchatka expeditions inscribed the names of Vitus Bering and his associate Alexei Chirikov into the history of marine discoveries. During the first voyage, the navigators conducted research and were able to supplement the geographical atlas with objects located in Northeast Asia and on the Pacific coast of Kamchatka.

The discovery of the Kamchatka and Ozerny peninsulas, the Kamchatka, Krest, Karaginsky bays, Provedeniya Bay, and St. Lawrence Island is 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.

Vitus Bering

The second expedition was undertaken by them with the aim of finding a way to North America and study Pacific Islands. On this journey, Bering and Chirikov founded the Peter and Paul fort. It took its name from the combined names of their ships (“St. Peter” and “St. 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, due to heavy fog. "St. Peter", controlled by Bering, sailed to the west coast of America, but was caught in 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 completed his voyage safely, having discovered several islands of the Aleutian ridge on the way back.

Khariton and Dmitry Laptev and their “name” sea

Cousins Khariton and Dmitry Laptev were like-minded people and assistants to Vitus Bering. It was he who appointed Dmitry as commander of the ship “Irkutsk”, and his double boat “Yakutsk” was led by Khariton. They took part in the Great Northern Expedition, the purpose of which was to study, accurately describe and map the Russian shores of the ocean, from the Yugorsky Shar to Kamchatka.

Each of the brothers made a significant contribution to the development of new territories. Dmitry became the first navigator to take photographs of the coastline from the mouth of the Lena to the mouth of the Kolyma. He compiled detailed maps of these places, using mathematical calculations and astronomical data as a basis.

Khariton and Dmitry Laptev

Khariton Laptev and his associates conducted research on the northernmost section of the Siberian coast. It was he who determined the dimensions and outlines of the huge Taimyr Peninsula - he carried out surveys of its eastern coast, was able to identify exact coordinates coastal islands. The expedition took place in difficult conditions - a large amount of ice, snowstorms, scurvy, ice captivity - Khariton Laptev’s team had to endure a lot. But they continued the work they had started. On this expedition, Laptev's assistant Chelyuskin discovered a cape, which was later named in his honor.

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

Krusenstern and Lisyansky - organizers of the first Russian circumnavigation

Ivan Kruzenshtern and Yuri Lisyansky are the first Russian navigators to complete trip around the world. Their expedition lasted three years (began in 1803 and ended in 1806). They and their teams set off on two ships, which were named “Nadezhda” and “Neva”. The travelers passed through Atlantic Ocean, entered the waters Pacific Ocean. The sailors followed them to Kuril Islands, Kamchatka and Sakhalin.

Ivan KruzenshternThis trip made it possible to collect important information. Based on data obtained by seafarers, a detailed map Pacific Ocean. Another important result of the first Russian round-the-world expedition was the data obtained on the flora and fauna of the Kuril Islands 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 Kruzenshtern and asked why his ship had arrived where the Russian flag had never been. To which I received the answer that they are here solely for the glory and development of domestic science.

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

Russian navigator Vasily Golovnin led two expeditions around the world. In 1806, he, being in the rank of lieutenant, received a new appointment and became commander of the sloop "Diana". Interestingly, this is the only case in the history of the Russian fleet when a lieutenant was entrusted with the control of a ship.

The leadership set the goal of the round-the-world expedition to study the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, with special attention to that part of it that is located within the borders of their native country. Diana's path was not easy. The sloop passed the island of Tristan da Cunha, passed the Cape of Hope and entered a port owned by 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. After spending more than a year in this situation, in mid-May 1809, the Diana, led by Golovnin, tried to escape, which the sailors successfully succeeded in - the ship arrived in Kamchatka.

Vasily Golovin Golovnin received his next important 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 team from captivity only thanks to the good relations between 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 before this, no one in history had ever returned from Japanese captivity.

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

Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev - discoverers of Antarctica

Captain of the second rank Thaddeus Bellingshausen was determined to find the truth in the question of the existence of the sixth continent. In 1819, he went out to the open sea, carefully preparing two sloops - Mirny and Vostok. The latter was commanded by his like-minded friend Mikhail Lazarev. The first round-the-world Antarctic expedition set itself other tasks. In addition to finding irrefutable facts confirming or refuting the existence of Antarctica, the travelers planned to explore the waters of three oceans - the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian.

Thaddeus Bellingshausen 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, this historical event occurred on January 28, 1820. Also, during the trip, about two dozen islands were found and mapped, sketches of Antarctic views, and images of representatives of the Antarctic fauna were created.

Mikhail Lazarev

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 were simply impossible to reach by sea. But the Russian travelers had enough perseverance and determination, so the names of Bellingshausen and Lazarev were included in the lists of the world's greatest navigators.

Yakov Sannikov

Yakov Sannikov (circa 1780, Ust-Yansk, Russian Empire - after 1811) - Russian merchant from Yakutsk, miner of arctic fox, mammoth tusks and explorer of the New Siberian Islands.
Known as the discoverer of the ghost island “Sannikov Land”, which he saw from the New Siberian Islands. He discovered and described the islands of Stolbovaya (1800) and Faddeevsky (1805).
In 1808-1810 he participated in the expedition of the exiled Riga Swede M. M. Gedenstrom. In 1810 he crossed the island of New Siberia, in 1811 he walked around Faddeevsky Island.
Sannikov expressed the opinion of the existence of a vast land north of the New Siberian Islands, in particular from Kotelny Island, called “Sannikov Land”.

After 1811, traces of Yakov Sannikov were lost. Neither his further occupation nor the year of death are known. In 1935, pilot Gratsiansky, who was flying in the lower reaches of the Lena River, near Kyusyur, discovered a tombstone with the inscription “Yakov Sannikov.” The strait through which today passes a section of the Northern Sea Route is named in his honor. Opened in 1773 by the Yakut industrialist Ivan Lyakhov. Initially, the strait was named after the expedition doctor E.V. Tolya V.N. Katina-Yartseva F.A. Mathisen. The current name was given by K.A. Vollosovich on his map, and in 1935 approved by the USSR government.

Grigory Shelikhov

Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov (Shelekhov; 1747, Rylsk - July 20, 1795, Irkutsk) - Russian explorer, navigator, industrialist and merchant from the Shelekhov family, who since 1775 has been involved in the development of commercial trade shipping between the Kuril and Aleutian island chains. In 1783-1786 he led an expedition to Russian America, during which the first Russian settlements in North America were founded. He organized several trading and fishing companies, including in Kamchatka. Grigory Ivanovich developed new lands for the Russian Empire and was the initiator of the Russian-American company. Founder of the North-Eastern Company.

The bay was named in his honor. Shelikhov Bay (Kamchatka region, Russia) is located between the Asian coast and the base of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Refers to water area Sea of Okhotsk.

Ferdinand Wrangel

Wrangel showed himself at his best, and he, tested in difficult circumnavigation, are instructed to lead an expedition to the extreme northeast of Siberia, to the mouths of the Yana and Kolyma, in order to map the coast of the Arctic Ocean up to the Bering Strait, and in addition to test the hypothesis about the existence of an undiscovered land connecting Asia with America.
Wrangel spent three years in the ice and tundra with his companions, among whom his main assistant was Fyodor Matyushkin, a lyceum friend of A.S. Pushkin.
In between campaigns to the North, under the leadership of Wrangel and Matyushkin, a topographical survey of the huge coast was taken, covering 35 degrees in longitude. In the territory of the recent white spot, 115 astronomical points were identified. For the first time, studies were carried out on the influence of climate on the existence and development of sea ice, and in Nizhnekolymsk the first weather station in this region was organized. Thanks to meteorological observations from this station, it was established that the “pole of cold” of the Northern Hemisphere is located between the Yana and Kolyma rivers.
Ferdinand Wrangel described the expedition and its scientific results in detail in a book that was first published in 1839 and was a huge success. The famous Swedish polar explorer Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld called it “one of the masterpieces among the works on the Arctic.”

The expedition in the Chukotka-Kolyma region put Wrangel on a par with the largest explorers of the harsh Arctic. Having subsequently become one of the founders of the Russian Geographical Society, he thought through the project of an expedition to the North Pole. He proposes to go to the Pole on a ship, which should spend the winter off the northern coast of Greenland, in the fall to prepare food warehouses along the route of the Pole party, and in March people will leave exactly in the direction of the meridian on ten sledges with dogs. It is interesting that the plan for reaching the pole, drawn up by Robert Peary, who entered the pole 64 years later, repeated Wrangel’s old project in the smallest detail. An island in the Arctic Ocean, a mountain and a cape in Alaska are named after Wrangel. Having learned about the sale of Alaska by the Russian government in 1867, Ferdinand Petrovich reacted very negatively to this.

Pyotr Beketov (1600 - after 1661) - Russian explorer of the 17th century, explorer of Siberia.

One of the most exemplary “Russian conquistadors”, who honestly served his cause and did not get involved in any adventures, Beketov was the founder of several Russian cities.

Biography

Almost nothing is known about the early years of life of many prominent personalities of the 17th century; Pyotr Beketov is no exception in this sense. Information about him appears only in the 1620s, when he got a job as an archer in the government service.

After some time, in 1627, Beketov sent a petition to the tsar, in which he asked to be given the position of centurion in order to have at least some decent salary.

Vasily Poyarkov is one of the discoverers of Siberia. He made a huge contribution to the development of these lands.

In the 17th century, the Russian Empire dreamed of annexing Siberia to its lands. It was a huge and rich territory where many peoples lived.

Special expeditions were assembled to study and annex the Siberian lands. One of them was headed by Vasily Poyarkov.

Years of life

Accurate information about the years of Vasily Poyarkov’s life has not been preserved. Only documentary sources that contain information about his activities have survived to this day. They date back to 1610-1667.

Vasily Ermolaevich Bugor was arctic sailor and one of the pioneers of Siberia.

He explored unexplored territories, helping the Yenisei governor A. Oshanin.

Years of life

The exact years of Bugor's life are unknown, but historians believe that he was born around 1600 and died in 1668.

Biography of Bugor

Bugor did not have a noble origin. He was a Cossack foreman, participated in the construction of forts and the study of Siberia.

Mikhail Stadukhin is an explorer and polar navigator of the 17th century who explored North-Eastern Siberia, a man who was one of the first to visit the north of the Sea of Okhotsk, as well as the Kolyma, Gizhiga, Penzhina and Anadyr rivers.

The geographical discoveries of M. Stadukhin became a huge contribution to the discovery and study of the Russian coast of the Arctic and Pacific Ocean.

Years of life of Mikhail Stadukhin

Year of birth unknown, died in 1666.

Biography of Mikhail Stadukhin

It is not known for certain in what year Mikhail Stadukhin was born. Presumably, the Russian explorer was born into a family of Pomors in one of the villages on the Pinega River

The development of Siberia in the 17th century is often presented as the most important event in the history of modern Russia.

It is spoken of as the Russian analogue of the Great Geographical Discoveries European world and the conquest of the New World.

This is partly a fair comparison. In the context of the emergence of the all-Russian market and economic growth, the development of new trade routes is an important stage in the country’s development.

S. I. Chelyuskin - sea traveler, researcher, participant in a long-term expedition who made serious geographical discoveries, ignored during his lifetime.

Origin

Chelyuskin's ancestors (according to documents from the 17th century - the Chelyustkins) were at first quite successful people, occupied important positions, were well promoted, were rich

But under Peter the Great, Semyon Ivanovich’s father fell into disgrace (he was among the rebellious Moscow archers) and until the end of his life his family vegetated in the wilderness of the village, barely making ends meet.

Accurate information about where and when S.I. Chelyuskin was born has not yet been discovered, approximately 1700.

Education

In 1714, the noble ignorant Semyon Chelyuskin was admitted to a Moscow school, where boys were taught exact sciences and navigation. Here the future researcher learned the wisdom of mathematics, geography, and astronomy.

He was a smart and diligent student. In 1721, having completed his studies, he was recommended for a certificate for navigating activities.

Yu. F. Lisyansky is an outstanding Russian navigator, who together traveled around the world.

Youth

Yu. Lisyansky was born in the Little Russian city of Nezhin in a simple family of a priest in 1773. Since childhood I dreamed of the sea, so I entered the Naval Cadet Corps and successfully graduated. Assigned to serve on the frigate "Podrazislav" as part of the squadron of Admiral S. K. Greig. He took part in the Hogland and several other naval battles in the war with the Swedes, served as a volunteer in the British fleet, took part in battles with the French on the shores of North America, and sailed on Antilles and to India.

Circumnavigation

Returning to his homeland, Lisyansky was appointed commander of the sloop "Neva". This ship set off on a round-the-world expedition under the leadership of I. F. Krusenstern, who commanded the second sloop Nadezhda. These two Russian ships left their homeland in mid-summer 1803 from Kronstadt. In November 1804, Yu. F. Lisyansky and I. F. Krusenstern were the first in the history of the Russian fleet to cross the equator line. In February of the same year, both ships sailed around Cape Horn, entering Pacific waters. Here the ships separated.

Khariton Prokofievich Laptev is one of the largest Russian polar explorers. The future conqueror of the Arctic was born in the village of Pekarevo, located near, in 1700. In 1715, young Laptev entered the St. Petersburg Naval Academy, which three years later he successfully graduated and entered the navy as a midshipman. In 1726 he was promoted to midshipman. In 1734 he took part in the war against Stanislav Leszczynski, who had been proclaimed the Polish king a year earlier.

The frigate "Mitava", on which Laptev served, is captured during military operations by the French, who resorted to deception to achieve this. Upon returning to his homeland, Laptev, along with the rest of the Mitava officers, is sentenced to death penalty for surrendering the ship without a fight, but the crew is found not guilty in time. After this misunderstanding, Khariton Prokofievich returns to service. In 1737, he was promoted to lieutenant and appointed commander of a detachment in the Great Northern Expedition. The purpose of the trip was to explore the Arctic coast between the Lena and Yenisei; another great Russian polar explorer, Dmitry Yakovlevich Laptev, cousin of Khariton Prokofievich, also took part in it. In the early spring of 1738, members of the expedition arrived in Yakutsk.

Dmitry Yakovlevich Laptev is a famous Russian traveler who, together with his cousin Khariton Prokofievich Laptev, became famous for their polar expeditions.

Born in 1701 into a family of small landed nobles in the village of Bolotovo. In 1715, together with his cousin, he began studying at the Maritime Academy in St. Petersburg. Upon completion of his studies in 1718, Laptev was promoted to midshipman on one of the ships of the Kronstadt squadron.

In 1721 he received the rank of midshipman, and in 1724 he became a non-commissioned lieutenant. From 1727 to 1729 he commanded the frigate "St. Jacob".

The biography of the great polar explorer Georgy Yakovlevich Sedov is unusual and tragic. He was born in 1877 in a small Azov village; today this village bears the name of the great polar explorer. George learned hard work from an early age. His father, a simple Azov fisherman, disappeared for several years. The boy had to work to feed his mother and eight brothers and sisters. He did not have time to learn to read and write, and until the age of 14 he could neither read nor write.

After his father returned home, in two years he graduated from parochial school and ran away from home. What the boy did in that life and how he made his way to his desired goal is little known. But at the age of 21, Georgy Sedov received a diploma as a navigator long-distance voyage. At the age of 24, after successfully passing the exam, he receives the rank of lieutenant.
His first hydrographic expedition was to the Arctic Ocean. Northern ice have long been attracted to the young sailor. He dreamed of conquering North Pole and prove that a Russian person can do this.

It began, and the expedition to the North Pole had to be postponed. But the idea does not leave him. He writes articles in which he proves that the development of the Northern Sea Route is necessary. He worked on the Caspian Sea, on Kolyma, and explored Krestovaya Bay on Novaya Zemlya.

Today we decided to remember the people after whom the seas in the Arctic Ocean and their surroundings were named, and also figure out what else they were famous for.

Willem Barents

Dutch navigator and explorer.

The Barents Sea, one of the islands and a city on the Spitsbergen archipelago that he discovered, as well as Barents Islands off the western coast of Novaya Zemlya.

The Barents Sea is named after Willem Barents

Three times (1594, 1595, 1596-1597) Barents went on a journey in search of the Northeast Passage from Europe to Asia. During the first two expeditions he reached the archipelago New Earth. During the third, he discovered Spitsbergen and rounded the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya; At the same time, the ship became trapped in ice. After the Arctic winter, the team sailed to the mainland, boarding two boats.

Barents's ship, soon crushed by ice, in 1596

During his travels, Barents made such significant geographical discoveries and compiled such accurate maps that he remains one of the largest explorers of the Arctic to this day. The meteorological data he collected is still taken into account in studying and forecasting the Arctic climate.

Vitus Bering

An island and the Bering Strait are named after Bering ( strait between the Arctic and Pacific oceans) and Bering Sea ( in the North Pacific), and Commander Islands. In archeology, the northeastern part of Siberia, Chukotka and Alaska (which, as is now believed, were previously connected by a strip of land) are often called the general term Beringia.

Postage stamp issued by the USSR Post in 1981 in honor of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Vitus Bering.

The strait and the sea, as well as the Commander Islands, are named after Vitus Bering

A native of Denmark. Born on August 12, 1681 in the city of Horsens in the family of a customs officer. Together with his cousin Sven and comrade Sivere, he went to the East Indies on a Dutch ship.

Peter I included Bering among the commanders who were to lead the first ships under the Russian flag around Europe from ports Sea of Azov to the Baltic, and then approved him as commander of the then largest combat ship in Russia - the 90-gun battleship Lesnoy.

In 1725, on behalf of the Emperor, Bering led the 1st Kamchatka Expedition, sent to the Pacific Ocean in search of a land isthmus between Asia and America. The expedition traveled overland through Siberia to Okhotsk. The ship “St. Gabriel” was built in Nizhnekamchatsk, on which Bering sailed around the shores of Kamchatka and Chukotka, discovered St. Lawrence Island and the strait ( now the Bering Strait).

In 1730, Bering returned to St. Petersburg, where he was awarded the rank of captain-commander. In 1733, he was entrusted with the leadership of the 2nd Kamchatka, or Great Northern, expedition, the purpose of which was to describe the northern and eastern coasts of Asia and to become familiar with the coasts of North America and Japan. Having left St. Petersburg in 1733, Bering reached Okhotsk in 1737 and only in 1741 he set off to sea on the ships “St. Peter” and “St. Paul” built there. During the storm, the ships separated. Bering reached Alaska, explored and mapped its shores, several Aleutian islands, and a number of the Kuril Islands. On his way back he encountered a group of unknown islands ( now the Commander Islands). On one of them (now Bering Island) the ship's crew spent the winter. Here many, including Bering himself, died of scurvy.

Of the 38 years that Bering lived in Russia, for 16 years he led the Kamchatka expeditions. In addition to the strait and islands, the sea, a cape on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, etc. are named after Bering.

Dmitry and Khariton Laptev

Considering the harsh natural conditions the Laptev Sea, it is not difficult to assume that the process of exploring its waters by travelers was not simple and safe. In addition, it should be taken into account that the work began back in the 18th century - at a time when the development of many sciences, including navigation, was in its infancy and the level of geographical knowledge was also not very high.

The brothers Khariton and Dmitry, after whom the Laptev Sea is named, began serving in the navy in 1718, where they were enlisted at a young age as midshipmen. By 1721, young people had already been promoted to midshipman. Fate decreed that for some time the brothers' life paths diverged. But Dmitry and Khariton were always faithful to the sea, the Russian fleet, devoting their service best years own life.

The Laptev Sea was named after the brothers Khariton and Dmitry Laptev

Since 1738, the brothers again begin to serve one common cause. On the recommendation of Laptev’s cousin, Khariton Prokofievich was appointed captain of the ship “Yakutsk” instead of Pronchishchev, who died on the expedition. In the summer of 1739, an expedition began whose goal was not only to survey the northern sea expanses, but also to take an inventory of coastal areas. Therefore, it included detachments that also traveled by land. Having a well-developed plan of action, a brave, dedicated team on land and at sea, by 1741 Dmitry Yakovlevich Laptev was able to cover the distance from the mouth of the Lena to the Kolyma on the ship “Irkutsk”. Having carefully processed the information received, he returned to St. Petersburg in the fall of 1742.

Khariton Prokofievich was supposed to explore the coast and sea west of the mouth of the Lena. The detachments led by Laptev had to experience enormous difficulties and hardships. The researcher and his companions did not stop even when they lost their ship, which was destroyed by ice. The expedition continued on foot. The result was a description of the territories from the mouth of the Lena River to the Taimyr Peninsula.

The life of such people as the brothers Khariton Prokofievich and Dmitry Yakovlevich, after whom the Laptev Sea is named, can rightfully be called a feat. Amazing perseverance, determination and love for Russia helped these people overcome the seemingly insurmountable.

Sir Francis Beaufort

A sea in the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Canada and Alaska, as well as an island in Antarctica, are named after Beaufort.

Beaufort also developed in 1805 a twelve-point scale for assessing wind speed by its effect on ground objects and by sea waves. In 1838, the Beaufort scale was adopted by the British Navy, and then by sailors around the world.

Sir Francis Beaufort was elected a member of the Royal Irish Academy

From 1829 to 1855 he headed the hydrographic service of Great Britain. In 1831 he became one of the initiators of the creation of the future Royal United Institute for Defense Research.

Lincoln Sea

The sea was named by polar explorer Adolphus Washington Greeley during his 1881-1884 expedition. Lincoln's name is not associated with the 16th US President Abraham Lincoln, but with his son, US Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln.

Robert Todd Lincoln (left) and Adolphus Washington Grill (right)

The Lincoln Sea was named by Abraham Lincoln's son

Adolph Washington Grill was an American scientist and explorer, as well as a polar explorer. Since 1868 he was in the service of the government signal bureau. In 1881, he headed an expedition to Greenland sent by the US government to establish one of the 13 circumpolar stations for meteorological observations according to the plan developed at the Hamburg International Congress in 1879. On the way back in 1883, part of his team died of starvation, one was shot on Greeley's orders. The half-dead survivors, along with Greeley himself, were rescued by a warship sent to search for the expedition. Greeley is the author of many works on meteorology and isothermal maps.

William Baffin

An English navigator who in 1616 discovered the sea that bears his name and the island of Baffin Island.

Portrait of William Baffin by Hendrik van der Borcht

Nothing is known about his early life except that he was probably born in London. He was first mentioned in 1612 in connection with the expedition to find the Northwest Passage to India, as the first mate of Captain James Hall. The captain was killed in a battle with the aborigines on the west coast of Greenland. Baffin spent the next two years whaling.

In 1615, he was entrusted with a second expedition to search for the North-West Route to India. Baffin explored the Hudson Strait on the Discovery. The accuracy of Baffin's astronomical observations on this voyage was confirmed by Sir Edward Paris two centuries later, in 1821.

After the expedition of 1615, when he visited Hudson Bay, he became convinced that the Northwest Passage could only pass through Davis Strait (between Baffin Island, named after the navigator, and Greenland). He followed this strait during his fifth expedition (1616) and, due to the favorable conditions of the ice, he managed to penetrate into Baffin Bay, named after him, all the way to Smith Strait. Determining longitude at sea by moonlight is considered by many to be the first experiment of its kind. Baffin accurately mapped all the shores of “his” bay, but the discoveries of the expedition in England were considered fantastic and were later removed from the maps. This injustice continued until 1818, when John Ross rediscovered Baffin Bay.

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Most northern cape The Asian continent is called Cape Chelyuskin,
the easternmost tip of Asia - Cape Dezhnev,
the strait between Novaya Zemlya and the Taimyr Peninsula is named after Boris Vilkitsky,
The islands in the Kara Sea are named after polar explorers Shokalsky, Sibiryakov, Neupokoev, Isachenko, Voronin...

Among the seas named after the famous geographers Barents and Bering, the Laptev Sea appeared on geographical maps, which did not exist on old, pre-revolutionary maps. It was named in honor of the remarkable Arctic explorers Khariton Prokofievich and Dmitry Yakovlevich Laptev, who took part in the Great Northern Expedition of the 18th century. The strait connecting the Laptev Sea with the East Siberian Sea is also named after Dmitry Laptev, and the northwestern coast of the Taimyr Peninsula is named after the Khariton Laptev coast - from Pyasinsky Bay to Taimyr Bay.

Cities and towns named after domestic travelers:

village Beringovsky (Chukotka) - V. I. Bering (navigator, captain-commander of the Russian Fleet),
Kropotkin ( Krasnodar region) - P. A. Kropotkin (prince, Russian geographer and geologist),
Lazarev ( Khabarovsk region) - M. P. Lazarev (Russian traveler),
Makarov (Sakhalin region) - S. O. Makarov (Russian naval commander, oceanographer),
village Poyarkova (Amur region) - V. D. Poyarkov (Russian explorer),
village Przhevalskoe (Smolensk region) - N. M. Przhevalsky (Russian traveler),
Khabarovsk, Erofey Pavlovich station (Amur region) - Erofey Pavlovich Khabarov (Russian explorer),
Shelekhov (Shelikhov) (Irkutsk region) - G. I. Shelikhov - Russian traveler;

An island and a bay at the south-eastern tip of Kamchatka, a cape on Karaginsky Island and a mountain near Lake Kronotsky on east coast Kamchatka Peninsula.

Geographical objects named in honor of A.I. Chirikov
cape in the Gulf of Anadyr, Russia;
cape in Tauyskaya Bay, Russia;

The nineteenth century was the time of the greatest geographical discoveries of Russian explorers. Continuing the traditions of its predecessors. — Explorers and passengers of the 17th-18th centuries. They enriched the Russians’ understanding of the world, which contributed to the development of new territories that were part of the empire.

For the first time, Russia achieved an old dream: its ships entered the world's oceans.

I. F. Krusenstern and Yu. F. F. Lisyansky. In 1803, an expedition to explore the northern part of the Pacific Ocean was carried out in the direction of Alexander I on the ships Nadezhda and Neva. This was the first Russian expedition, which lasted 3 years.

It was headed by Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern, the greatest navigator and geographer of the 19th century. Century.

During the trip, more than a thousand kilometers of the coast of Sakhalin Island were shown for the first time. The trip participants had many interesting comments not only about the Far East, but also about other areas in which they sailed. The commander of the Neve, Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky, discovered one of the islands of the Hawaiian archipelago, named after him.

The expedition members collected a lot of data about the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, in the Pacific and Arctic oceans.

The results of the observations were presented in a report by the Academy of Sciences.

It turned out to be so difficult that I. F. Kruzenshtern was called an academician. His materials formed the basis of what was published in the early 20th century. "Atlas south seas" In 1845, Admiral Krusenstern became one of the founders of the Russian Geographical Society. He even took on a galaxy of Russian explorers and explorers.

F. F. Bellingshausen and M. P. Lazarev. Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen became one of Krusenstern's students and followers.

He was a member of the first Russian expedition in the world.

In 1819-1821. Bellingshausen was appointed to lead a new global march on lifeboats ("single-masted ships") "Vostok" (who commanded) and "World" (commander Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev). The expedition plan was Kruzenshtern. His the main objective was called "the acquisition of the most complete knowledge of our world" and "the discovery of a possible vicinity of the Antarctic pole."

The expedition approached the shores of Antarctica, then unknown, which Bellingshausen called the “ice continent.” After a stay in Australia, the Russian ships moved to the tropical Pacific Ocean, where they discovered a group of islands called the Russian Islands.

In 751 days sailing Russian sailors crossed about 50 thousand kilometers.

Significant geographical discoveries were made, they brought valuable collections, observed the waters of the World Ocean and the ice mass of a new continent for humanity.

A. A. Baranov and the development of Russian America.

Alexander Andreevich Baranov is hardly attributed to pioneers or passengers in the strict sense of these words. But this was a man who is an invaluable contribution to the development of Russian America by our compatriots. As a merchant in Kargopol, he traded in Eastern Siberia, and since 1790 he has been in northwestern America.

In search of new hunting grounds, Baranov explored Kodiak Island and other areas in detail in search of mineral resources, founded a new Russian settlement and provided them with everything they needed to establish contact with the local residents.

It was for him that for the first time Russia actually fortified large Russian territories on the Pacific coast of North America.

Baran's activities were extremely complex and dangerous. Constant Indian raids cost the Russian settlers not only significant losses, but also their lives. It wasn't until 1802 that they attempted to establish a settlement on the island of Sitka, and more than 200 immigrants were killed.

Baran's efforts were so successful that they were in 1799

became the ruler of Russian-American society, and in 1803 he was appointed ruler of the Russian colonies in America. He held it high and dangerous place almost until death.

In 1804, Baranov founded the Novoarkhangelsk fortress on the island of Sitka, and then Fort Fort. In 1815 he made an expedition to Hawaiian Islands with the intention of joining Russia. But this did not bring happiness. Being an elderly and sick man, Alexander Andreevich asked to resign three times.

However, such a person is in no hurry to be released from service. Only in 1818 was an agreement reached on his departure from America to his homeland. On the road, on the island of Java, Baranov died in 1819.

After his death, it turned out that after he increased the capital of the Russian-American company and expanded Russia's assets, he died as a beggar. Upon learning of his death, A.S. Pushkin wrote in his diary: “Baranov died. Sorry for being an honest citizen, an intelligent person..."

G.I. Nevelskaya and E.V. Putyatin.

The greatest researcher of Russian Far East in the middle of the 19th century. became Gennady Ivanovich Nevelskoy.

In two expeditions (1848-1849 and 1850-1855), Sakhalin struck in the north, where he discovered many new, previously unknown territories and entered the lower stream of the Amur, succeeding. Here in 1850 he founded the Mikolainovsky post (Nikolaevsk-on-Amur). Nevelsky's journey was important: for the first time it became clear that Sakhalin was not connected to the mainland, the island and the Tartary Strait - the strait was not watered because it was counted.

Evtimius Vasilievich Putyatin in 1822-1825.

he traveled all over the world and left a descriptive account of what he saw. In 1852-1855. During the expedition that led him to the frigate Pallada, the Rimsky-Korsakov Islands were discovered. Putyatin became the first Russian who managed to visit the closed Europeans and the Japanese and even there to sign a contract (1855).

The result of the expedition of Nevelsky and Putyatin, in addition to strictly scientific ones, was the consolidation of the Primorsky Territory in the Far East for Russia.

The scientific information collected by Russian passengers was so great and important that the generalization of special institutions required their generalization and application.

The most important of these institutions was opened in 1845.

Russian Geographical Society. It became the center of geographical knowledge in Russia. Regular organization of scientific expeditions, conducting research on the population of Russia and neighboring countries, publication of geographical and statistical collections. In 1851, Caucasian and Siberian divisions of the Russian Geographical Society were created to develop economic and geographical research in Siberia, the Far East, the Caucasus, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Questions and tasks

Why only in the 19th century? Russian ships set off into the world's oceans and began to surround the world? 2. What goals and objectives were set for the participants of the first Russian expedition of a Russian passenger?

What were the results of this expedition? 3. What is the historical significance of the discovery of Russian Antarctic sailors? 4. What actions of A. A. Baranov led to the growth and strengthening of Russian property in North America?

5. What is the contribution of the geographical science of G.V. Nevelsky and E.V. Putyatin?

geographical features in Russia named after Russian passengers

6. What practical results have been discovered by Russian passengers?

documentation

From the memorandum of F.P. Litke on the creation of the Russian Geographical and Statistical Society. May 1, 1845

The main task of this company is to collect and distribute complete and reliable information about our country both in Russia and abroad:

As for the geographical, that is, with this, everything that belongs to the description of the land area, the physical characteristics of the state, the workings of nature, etc.

2. Regarding statistics, the understanding of this word is not just a selection of anonymous numbers, not just quantitative statistics, but also descriptive or qualitative,

that is. all the relative elements of social life.

3. Regarding ethnography. This is the bottom of the question, that is, the knowledge of the different tribes living in the current state limits the physical, moral, social and linguistic...

The second task of the Geographical Association is dissemination in our homeland, as well as the main geographic information, taste and love for geography, statistics and ethnography.

From journalist midshipman P.

M. Novosilsky - participant of the first Antarctic expedition

We came to solid ice, through which there were no openings to the south, so we had to turn first to the west and then to the north with a tense heart. Good weather soon stopped; she started snowing while on her knees, the fog was sometimes so thick that we couldn't see the reservoir from the feed while we were more frequent on the ice...

Then floating columns of light began to appear in the south; constantly disappears and reappears; Sometimes they were in the form of long diverging rays, sometimes a wavy ribbon of fire ran across the sky, sometimes a half-screaming flashing red light, in a word, we are present in all the glory of the magnificent, beautiful southern lights!

Questions for documents: 1.

What were the main goals of creating the Russian Geographical Society? 2. Why do you need an active study of the peoples of Russia? 3. How should he use geographical knowledge in educating the population? 4. What impressions did the round world participants bring to the eternal ice?

Expand your dictionary:

An expedition is a journey of a group of people for any purpose (scientific, military, educational).

Which geographical features named after Russian travelers

Answers:

The northernmost cape of the Asian continent is called Cape Chelyuskin, the easternmost tip of Asia is Cape Dezhnev, the strait between Novaya Zemlya and the Taimyr Peninsula is named after Boris Vilkitsky, the islands in the Kara Sea are named after the polar explorers Shokalsky, Sibiryakov, Neupokoev, Isachenko, Voronin... Among the seas, named after the famous geographers Barents and Bering, the Laptev Sea appeared on geographical maps, which did not exist on old, pre-revolutionary maps.

It was named in honor of the remarkable Arctic explorers Khariton Prokofievich and Dmitry Yakovlevich Laptev, who took part in the Great Northern Expedition of the 18th century. The strait connecting the Laptev Sea with the East Siberian Sea is also named after Dmitry Laptev, and the northwestern coast of the Taimyr Peninsula is named after the Khariton Laptev coast - from Pyasinsky Bay to Taimyr Bay. Cities and towns named after domestic travelers: village.

Beringovsky (Chukotka) - V. I. Bering (navigator, captain-commander of the Russian Fleet), city of Kropotkin (Krasnodar Territory) - P. A. Kropotkin (prince, Russian geographer and geologist), city of Lazarev (Khabarovsk Territory) - M. P. Lazarev (Russian traveler), Makarov (Sakhalin region) - S. O. Makarov (Russian naval commander, oceanographer), village.

Poyarkova (Amur region) - V.D. Poyarkov (Russian explorer), village. Przhevalskoe (Smolensk region) - N. M. Przhevalsky (Russian traveler), city.

Khabarovsk, Erofey Pavlovich station (Amur region) - Erofey Pavlovich Khabarov (Russian explorer), Shelekhov (Shelikhov) (Irkutsk region) - G.I.

14 places named after great travelers

Shelikhov - Russian traveler; An island and a bay at the southeastern tip of Kamchatka, a cape on Karaginsky Island and a mountain near Lake Kronotsky on the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula are named after S.P. Krasheninnikov. Geographical features named after A.I. Chirikov Cape in the Gulf of Anadyr, Russia; cape in Tauyskaya Bay, Russia;

Table "Russian passengers and pioneers" (pioneers)

Who: Semyon Dezhnev, Cossack chieftain, trader, fur seller.

When: 1648

What he found: First she crossed the Bering Strait, which separates Europe from North America. Therefore, I realized that Eurasia and North America are two different continents, and they are not closed.

Who: Thaddeus Bellingshausen, Russian admiral, navigator.

When: 1820th

What he found: Antarctica with Mikhail Lazarev on the frigates Vostok and Mirny. He commanded the Vostok. Before the expedition of Lazarev and Bellingshaus, nothing was known about the existence of this continent.

The Bellingshausen and Lazarev expedition finally blew up the myth about the existence of the mythical " southern continent", which was misused in all medieval maps Europe.

Navigators, including the famous Captain James Cook, spent more than three hundred and fifty years searching for the "Southern Continent" in Indian Ocean, and of course they found nothing.

Who: Kamchatsky Ivan, shark and saber hunter.

When: 1650 years.

What he found: Kamchatka is named after him.

What geographical objects do we call Czech passengers?

Who: Semyon Chelyuskin, polar explorer, Russian navy officer

When: 1742

What he found: The northernmost cape of Eurasia, named after Cape Chelyuskin.

Who: Ermak Timofeevich, Cossack chieftain in the service of the Russian emperor. Ermakov's last name is unknown. Maybe Tokmak.

When: 1581-1585

What he found: conquered and explored Siberia for the Russian state.

To this end, a successful armed battle began with Tatar huts in Siberia.

Ivan Krusenstern, member of the Russian Navy, admiral

When: 1803-1806.

What he found: He made a round-the-world tour with Yuri Lisyansky on the Nadezhda and Neva layers. Team "Nadezhda"

Who: Yuri Lisyansky, Russian navy officer, captain

When: 1803-1806.

What he found: With the wings "Nadezhda" and "Neva" he traveled around the world with Ivan Krusenstern. He made Nevi.

Who: Petr Semenov-Tien-Shansky

When: 1856-57

What he found: The first European to study the Tien Shan mountains. Later he studied a number of areas in Central Asia. To explore mountain system and her services for science, he received the honorary name of Tien Shan from the authorities of the Russian Empire, which he had the right to transfer and inherit.

Who: Vitus Bering

When: 1727-29

What he found: The second (after Samon Dezhnev) and first researcher reached North America, which crossed the Bering Strait and thereby confirmed its existence. It is confirmed that North America and Eurasia are two different continents.

Who: Khabarov Erofey, Kazak, Furman

When: 1649-53

What he found: took possession of the Russian part of Siberia and the Far East, studied the land near the Amur River.

Who: Mikhail Lazarev, Russian naval officer.

When: 1820

What he found: Antarctica together with Thaddeus Bellingshausen on the frigates Vostok and Mirny. He made Peaceful. Before the expedition of Lazarev and Bellingshaus, nothing was known about the existence of this continent.

The Russian expedition also finally began the myth of the existence of a mythical "southern continent" that was drawn from medieval European maps that had not been searched for by sailors for four years.

Great travelers, navigators and discoverers

Great travelers, navigators, discoverers and their discoveries are forever recorded in the milestones of history. People are both frightened and attracted by the unknown, especially when it comes to our planet.

The Middle Ages, when very little was known about the Earth, were marked by a number of fantastic discoveries made by brave sailors from different countries Europe.

Any cultured person for whom history is not an empty phrase can easily name the names of such great travelers as James Cook, Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama and many others.

They all lived in a time when travel was full of danger, uncertainty and often reckless adventurism.

Ships, guided only by the wind and the oars of the rowers, plowed the oceans in the hope of landing on an as yet uncharted land.

Imagine that a trip around the world, made on ships under the leadership of Magellan, lasted three years.

Of the five ships, only one returned to Spain; out of two hundred and eighty people, forty survived, and great navigator was not one of them.

Discoverers who came from distant countries often surprised people with their amazing discoveries and stories about unusual phenomena that they encountered.

For example, Francisco de Orellana, who became famous for being the first to swim the entire Amazon, claimed that he met a warlike tribe of Amazons on the banks of the river - in fact, this is where the name of the Amazon itself came from. long river in the world.

Walter Raleigh, an English navigator who visited North America, talked about the ugly people who inhabited the New World.

Allegedly they had no heads, and their eyes and mouth were located directly on the body. In addition, according to him, his expedition saw the Golden Eldorado.

After Bellingshausen and Lazarev, the discoverers of Antarctica, put the last continent on the world map in 1820, the time of great discoveries passed. Now travel lovers could only walk unbeaten paths through known lands and plow the seas, which have long had their own names.

Nevertheless, even in the twentieth century there were great navigators whose discoveries stun the imagination.

Consider Thor Heyerdahl alone, who crossed the Pacific Ocean with his team on a raft made of beams.

Now for those who like to test their strength and look for adventures on their own, there are no barriers. They raft down rivers, cross mountains and deserts, and travel around the world no longer to map a new territory—these travelers will no longer become discoverers. They challenge nature without suffering at all from the lack of connection with civilization and its benefits.

The era of space travel began with the first manned flight into space.

The vast expanses of the Universe call on their heroes to make new discoveries. Several astronauts have already visited the Moon, and landing on Mars is just around the corner.

Perhaps soon science fiction novels about distant planets and extraterrestrial civilizations will become a reality, and new great travelers and their discoveries will be entered into the history books.

Travel in Rus' was determined by the lifestyle of our ancestors, as well as natural and climatic factors. Main view economic activity there was agriculture, which was of a “slash-and-slash” nature. Since large areas were occupied by forests, it was necessary to cut down trees, burn them and cultivate the land in this place. Such land served no more than two to three years. The restoration of soil fertility occurred only after several decades. Therefore, the Slavs had to explore new spaces.

Sea koch of the 16th century. Rice. V. Dygalo and N. Narbekova

Like other nations, travel was made in Rus' for trading purposes. There were several trade routes.

The first is the route along the Dnieper to the Black Sea, from there through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles to the Marmara, Aegean and Adriatic seas.

The second is the famous trade route “from the Varangians to the Greeks,” connecting the Black and Baltic seas.
The third is the Volga trade route to the Caspian Sea.

The fourth trade route went from Novgorod and Kyiv to the Volga.

In 936, Russian boats as part of the Byzantine fleet made a trade visit to Italy. In 961, a similar visit was made to the island of Crete. The first written evidence of travel in Rus' came to us in epics and legends. For example, epics about Russian heroes, about the guslar Sadko and other wanderers. The most famous work that has come down to us, containing information about travel in Rus', is “The Tale of Bygone Years,” written by the monk Nestor. A large place in epics is given to “kalika-walkers,” as pilgrims were called in Rus'.

Pilgrimage in Rus' began in 988, in connection with the adoption of Christianity. After Jerusalem, the most attractive city for Russian pilgrims was Constantinople, where from the 11th century. there was a Russian community.

The most famous journey XIV V. is the journey of the Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin. In the summer of 1466, merchants from Tver decided to go to trade on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The merchant Afanasy Nikitin was chosen as the head of the caravan of two ships. From the very first days of the trip he began to keep a diary. The caravan arrived safely Nizhny Novgorod. In order to sail further unhindered along the Volga, the merchants had to join the caravan of the Shirvan embassy led by Hasan Bey. Together with him they passed Kazan, freely passed through the Horde and Sarai. But at the mouth of the Volga they were attacked by the Tatars of the Astrakhan Khan. Here the travelers lost two ships that ran aground. The Tatars plundered these ships and captured everyone who was there.

The surviving two ships sailed into the Caspian Sea. The ships were caught in a storm in the Caspian Sea. One of the ships was thrown ashore near the city of Tarkha (now Makhachkala). Residents of the coast plundered the goods and captured the people. Afanasy Nikitin, together with the ten remaining merchants, reached Derbent on the embassy ship. He spent almost a year there.

Afanasy Nikitin could not return empty-handed, since when he went to trade, he borrowed goods from other merchants. Afanasy Nikitin had no choice but to go further south. He reached Baku, where he got a job at one of the oil wells. Having earned the necessary amount, in September 1468 Afanasy Nikitin sailed to the Caspian Persian region of Mazanderan. There he spent more than eight months, then, crossing Elbrus, he moved south. His route ran along the caravan route that united the south-eastern coast of the Caspian Sea with inland areas Persia.

In the spring of 1469, Afanasy Nikitin reached Hormuz, a large port at the entrance from the Arabian Sea to Persian Gulf, where trade routes from Asia Minor, Egypt, India and China intersected. Afanasy Nikitin stayed here for a month. He learned that the main export product from Persia and Arabia to India was horses. Horses were not bred in India because they could not withstand the hot and humid climate and quickly died. The Tver merchant, having invested all his funds, bought a good horse, so that he could then sell it profitably in India.

Travel map of Afanasy Nikitin

In April 1471, Afanasy Nikitin, under the name of Haji Yusuf, went to India and in June of the same year went into the interior of India to the east, and from there to the northwest to Junnar (Juneir). Afanasy Nikitin spent two months there, waiting for the roads to dry out after the rainy season. Everywhere Afanasy Nikitin led a horse with him, which he could not sell. Afanasy Nikitin went to Alland, where he opened big fair. But even there it was not possible to sell the horse, since more than twenty thousand horses gathered at the fair. Four months later, he finally manages to sell the horse at a profit.

Traveling around India, Afanasy Nikitin kept observations and notes. After spending more than three years in India, the Tver merchant came to the conclusion that trade with India was futile. Exhausted in India, Afanasy Nikitin set off on the return journey, which he described very briefly.

Nikitin spent five months in Kallur, purchased precious stones and headed to the city of Dabul (Dovbyl), located on west coast India. There he boarded a ship that sailed across the Arabian Sea to the shores of Ethiopia. From Ethiopia the ship turned northwest and, rounding the Arabian Peninsula, reached Muscat. Destination swimming was Hormuz. From Hormuz, Afanasy Nikitin walked along the already familiar path to the city of Rey. Then he had to cross Elbrus to get to South coast Caspian Sea.

Next, Afanasy Nikitin crossed the Black Sea and reached Balaklava, and then Feodosia. There Afanasy Nikitin met with Russian merchants and in the spring of 1475 he went north along the Dnieper. He stopped in Kyiv, went further, but before reaching Smolensk, he died. Afanasy Nikitin was the first Russian to describe the Southern and Southeast Asia from Iran to China. He was the first European to reach India 30 years before Vasco da Gama. His path was never repeated.

At the beginning of September 1581, Ermak’s detachment (about 600 people) left the village of Kergedan (currently the Kama Reservoir is located there). Then, as part of several dozen ships, the Cossacks sailed along the Chusovaya River. After this, the Cossacks crossed Ural Mountains and reached the Tagil River, and then the Tura River. Having walked along this river for about 100 kilometers, Ermak’s detachment met the first resistance in the area of the village of Epanchin-gorodok (now Turinsk). Without difficulty overcoming resistance, the ships continued down the Tour. But the Tatars, who fled from Epanchin, warned Khan Kuchum about the approach of Ermak’s flotilla.

In October 1582, Ermak's ships reached the Irtysh River and stopped in Tobolsk. From there the Cossacks went up the Irtysh with the aim of capturing Iskera. The Cossacks put the Tatars to flight and Isker was captured, and Kuchum fled. Here the Cossacks spent the winter. In the winter of 1583, a ten-thousand-strong army of Tatars moved to Isker. Ermak did not wait for a siege, but suddenly attacked a Tatar column 15 kilometers south of Iskera. As a result of a difficult battle, the Tatar army retreated.

In the spring, Ermak sent a detachment of Ataman Bogdan Bryazga down the Irtysh in order to reconnoiter the route to the Ob. Walking down the Irtysh, the Bryazga flotilla reached Belogoria (the confluence of the Irtysh and the Ob) and returned back. Without waiting for reinforcements either in the winter of 1583 or in the summer of 1584, Ermak decided to return back to the Stroganovs’ possessions, following the course of the Tavda River. Along the Tavda River, Ermak approached the capital of the Pelym principality, the city of Pelym, a fortified fortress with a garrison of more than 700 soldiers. To protect his squad, Ermak did not storm this fortress and turned back to Isker.

By that time, reinforcements of 300 archers, led by Voivode Volkhovsky, had arrived. Voivode Volkhovsky was given the order to take control of Siberia into his own hands and send Ermak to Moscow. This order could not be carried out, since the governor soon died. Ermak had to spend another winter in Isker.

From the beginning of spring 1585, the troops of the Khan of Karachi kept Isker under siege for a whole month, hoping to starve the remaining Cossacks to death. Unable to enter into open confrontation, Ermak, under the cover of darkness, with a detachment of Cossacks made his way to the Karachi headquarters and defeated it. The khan himself managed to avoid death, but his troops retreated from Isker.

In the summer of 1585, the Cossacks undertook a campaign in the southern regions of the Khanate, where the Karachi detachments retreated. After several minor clashes with the Tatars, Ermak reached the well-fortified fortress of Kulary. After five days of an unsuccessful assault, the Cossacks, leaving the fortress, moved further to the Tashatkan town, from where Ermak went to the Shish River, where the borders of the Siberian Khanate passed. After this, the Cossacks decided to return back to Isker.

At this time, Khan Kuchum joined forces with the Khan of Karachi and decided to lure Ermak’s detachment into a trap. When the Cossacks passed by the Kular fortress, the Tatars spread a rumor that a caravan from Bukhara had been detained at the mouth of the Vagai River. Ermak's detachment hastened to help the caravan. At the beginning of August 1585, near the city of Vagai, the Cossacks stopped for the night and were attacked by numerous detachments of Tatars. With heavy losses, the Cossacks managed to escape from the encirclement and reach Isker by ship. But in this battle Ermak died. Having lost their ataman, the remnants of the detachment left Isker, went down the Irtysh to the Ob, and from there they went along the Pechora route to their homeland. 25% of the detachment were able to return to Russia.

Ermak's Siberian campaign was a harbinger of numerous expeditions. A few years later, Russian troops took Pelym, conquered the Pelym principality and defeated the remnants of the Siberian Khanate. Then routes from Vishera to Lozva were mastered, more convenient and easier than the Tagil route. Ural ridge was finally conquered. Explorers moved to Siberia, expecting new discoveries. Later, these lands began to be filled with military men, industrialists and peasant settlers.

In 1610, Kondraty Kurochkin was the first to explore the fairway of the lower Yenisei from Turukhansk to the mouth of this river. He established that the Yenisei flows into the Kara Sea. Moving east, into the taiga and tundra of Eastern Siberia, Russian explorers discovered one of largest rivers Asia - Lena. From Yakutsk, Russian explorers moved up the Lena, and then along its tributaries - Olekma and Vitim. Then the travelers crossed watershed ridges and reached the banks of the Amur. The first person to penetrate the Amur basin was Vasily Danilovich Poyarkov.

In July 1643, an expedition was sent to find out natural resources southeastern Siberia. First, Poyarkov reached the Aldan River along the Lena, then he climbed the Aldan and the rivers of its basin - Uchur and Gonam. In the fall, Poyarkov with a detachment of 90 people went on sleds and skis through the Stanovoy Range and went to the upper reaches of the Bryant River, which flows into the Zeya River. After 10 days, the detachment reached the left tributary of the Zeya. There Poyarkov demanded that the Daurs give yasak to the Russian Tsar. Having plundered one of the villages, Poyarkov sent a detachment of 50 Cossacks to another village. But the Daurs, having gathered a cavalry detachment, defeated the Cossacks.

In May 1644, people who spent the winter on the Gonam River approached Poyarkov. The expedition moved on. At the end of June 1644, Poyarkov’s detachment reached the Amur near the mouth of the Zeya. Part of the detachment, together with Poyarkov, decided to move up the Amur, to the Shilka River - to search for silver ores. The other part went on reconnaissance down the Amur. Three days later, the scouts returned, as they found out that the sea was far away and the local population was hostile. A few months later, the expedition reached the mouth of the Amur, and they set up a second winter there.

At the end of May 1645, when the mouth of the Amur was free of ice, Poyarkov went to the Amur Estuary, but did not dare to go south, and turned north. The sea voyage on river boats lasted three months. The expedition first moved along the mainland coast of the Sakhalin Bay, and then entered the Sea of Okhotsk.

The first European to discover the Sea of Okhotsk and explore its shores was Ivan Yuryevich Moskvin in 1639. He also discovered the Sakhalin Bay. At the beginning of September 1645, Poyarkov entered the mouth of the Ulya River. Here the Cossacks found a people they already knew - the Evenks - and stayed for the third winter. In the spring of 1646, the detachment moved on sledges up the Ulye and reached the Maya River, the Lena basin. Here the travelers hollowed out boats and three weeks later they reached Yakutsk.

During this three-year expedition, Poyarkov walked about 8 thousand kilometers, including 2 thousand kilometers along the Amur River to its mouth. He passed a new route from the Lena to the Amur, opening the Uchur, Gonam, Zeya rivers, as well as the Amur-Zeyskaya and Zeya-Bureya plains. From the mouth of the Zeya, he was the first to descend the Amur, reaching the Amur Estuary, the first to sail along the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, discover the Sakhalin Bay and collect some information about Sakhalin. Poyarkov also collected information about the peoples living along the Amur.

Most famous discoverer was Semyon Dezhnev from Veliky Ustyug. He served as an ordinary Cossack in Tobolsk, Yeniseisk, Yakutsk, and was engaged in the fur trade. From 1640 he took part in campaigns for yasak. In 1642 he collected tribute in the area of the Oymyakon River. In 1643, Dezhnev, as part of a detachment of the Cossack foreman and merchant Mikhail Stadukhin, traveled on kochas from Oymyakon down the Indigirka River, entered the East Siberian Sea and reached the mouth of the Kolyma. The Nizhnekamsk winter quarters were established here.

In 1648, Dezhnev, as part of Isai Ignatiev’s expedition from Nizhnekolymsk, set off from the mouth of the Kolyma to the east. On six kochas they went out into the East Siberian Sea and went east along the coast. The purpose of the expedition was to search for the development of reserves and obtain walrus tusk. The expedition entered the Chukchi Sea. Dezhnev strictly adhered to coastline. In October 1649, Dezhnev circled the Chukotka Peninsula and continued to head south. In the Gulf of Anadyr during a storm, Dezhnev lost one ship. Another one sank off Cape Navarin. On the remaining ship, Dezhnev reached the bay at the mouth of the Ukelayat River (now this bay is called “Dezhnev Bay”). His last ship sank near the Olyutorsky Peninsula. Having landed on the shore, Dezhnev turned north along the coast of Kamchatka. Three months later, Dezhnev’s detachment reached the mouth of the Anadyr River.

In 1659, Dezhnev set off along the Belaya River and reached Kolyma. In 1661 he arrived in Oymyakon on the Indigirka River. Then he reached the Aldan River and from it entered the Lena. In 1662 Dezhnev arrived in Yakutsk. From there he was sent to Moscow with a large consignment of walrus tusks. Having safely reached Moscow and delivered the cargo, Dezhnev unexpectedly fell ill and died.
No one took into account Dezhnev’s discovery of the Strait between Asia and America. Only in 1898, in honor of the 250th anniversary of Dezhnev’s voyage, the extreme eastern point Asia was named Cape Dezhnev.

Thus, by the end of the 17th century. thanks to the travels and discoveries of Russian explorers, the largest state in the world was formed, stretching from west to east from White Sea to Kamchatka and the Pacific Ocean. The southern borders of Russia were still undefined. This problem was solved during further campaigns.

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