All Russian travelers. Great Russian travelers and their discoveries. Names of modern travelers




Russian travelers and geographers made a great contribution to the knowledge of our planet. First of all, they explored the colossal territory of our Motherland, constituting a sixth of the entire landmass. Many lands in all parts of the world and islands of the world's oceans were mapped for the first time by the Russians. They were the first to visit Alaska, made heroic voyages in the Arctic on small boats, were the first to penetrate Antarctica, collected information about the deserts of Iran and India, explored and described Mongolia, Tibet, Western China, mapped a significant part of Africa and South America. The names of many Russian researchers are depicted in geographical names on the world map.

The collection opens with a story about Afanasy Nikitin. The time to which the recording of his journey “Walking across the Three Seas” dates back to was significant for Russia - the unification of feudal principalities into a centralized Russian state. Nikitin's notes are interesting not only as the first reliable description of India in the 15th century compiled by a European, but also as a document that reflected important changes that took place in Rus'.

It is difficult to say to what time man's acquaintance with the polar countries dates back to. It is known that in the 12th - 15th centuries Novgorodians explored and developed the coast Kola Peninsula and shores White Sea. The Pomors discovered a number of islands in the Arctic Ocean: Novaya Zemlya, Kolguev, Medvezhiy, Spitsbergen. After Ermak's campaign in 1581-1584, Russian exploration of Siberia began. In 1586, the Tyumen fort was built on the Tura River, then the Tobolsk town was erected, which became the main support center of the first settlers. In 1601, having crossed Kamen (Ural), the Russians founded Mangazeya - a large market town. In 1630, several detachments of Cossack explorers moved to Lena. Having gone down the Lena, they came out to the “Holy Sea” (Arctic Ocean).

In 1684, Fyodor Popov undertook a voyage from the mouth of the Kolyma to the east, and Semyon Dezhnev went with him (Fyodor Popov’s path was repeated only 200 years later by Nordenskiöld). At the beginning of the 19th century, industrialist Y. Sannikov discovered ancient crosses on Stolbovoy Island. And on Kotelny Island, an ancient winter hut was found - evidence that in the 22nd century, Russian sailors undertook ice voyages far into the depths of the ocean on their kochka boats.

A new page in the study of Russian sea routes was written as a result of the tireless work of a number of expeditions, equipped according to the plans of Peter 1. The 1st Kamchatka expedition (1725 - 1730) confirmed the hypothesis that Aznya and Acherika are separated by a strait, but since Bernng turned back before reaching lo Alaska, the existence of the strait was questioned. In 1732, it was decided to send a second, more significant expedition to the Pacific Ocean. Two ships were to go to America, and the other two were to go to Japan. At the same time, an expedition was sent to the Arctic Ocean to find out the possibility of sailing along the shores of Sibnri. This expedition went down in history as the Great Northern Expedition.

Russian navigators V. Pronchishchev, S. Chelyuskin, P. Lasinius, S. Muravyov, D. Ovtsyn, D. Sterlegov, F. Minin, Khariton and Dmitry Laptev quite accurately mapped northern regions Siberia and became convinced of the impossibility at that time of regular navigation in the east of the Arctic Ocean. The ships of the detachment of Bering and Chirikov - packet boats "St. Peter" and "St. Pavel" first approached the shores Northwestern America and put them on the map; discovered by the Aleutian and Commander Islands. The 2nd Kamchatka expedition finally confirmed the existence of a strait between America and Asia.

For two hundred years (before the expedition of the ships "Taimyr" and "Vaigach" in 1910-1915), hydrographic data compiled by the participants of the Great Northern Expedition remained the only guidance for navigation in those places.

The objects of the study were the islands of Novaya Zemlya, Vaygach, and Kolguev. In 1767, Novaya Zemlya was explored by F. Rozmyslov, and in 1821 - 1824 by F. Litke. The work begun by Rozmyslov and Litke was continued in 1832 by P. Pakhtusov and A. Tsivolko. In 1912, on the ship "St. Foka" Georgy Sedov went to the pole. He managed to go around the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya.

A worthy place in the development of the Arctic belongs to Admiral S. Makarov, his theory of conquering the Arctic Ocean with the help of icebreakers. “All the way to the Pole” was Makarov’s motto. In order to improve navigation and establish regular flights of Russian ships from the Baltic ports to the shores of the Pacific Ocean, circumnavigation I. Krusenstern and Y. Lisyansky. Huge amounts of time were spent along the way. research papers, a wealth of scientific material has been collected, and vast little-known areas of the Pacific Ocean have been studied in detail.

After Krusenstern and Lisyansky, V. Golovnin undertook a circumnavigation of the world on the sloop “Diana”; he studied Kamchatka and the adjacent islands in detail. The second circumnavigation of the world on the sloop "Kamchatka", which was made by V. Golovnin, enriched world science with major geographical discoveries.

In 1819, after long and careful preparation, the South Polar Expedition set off from Kronstadt, consisting of two sloops of war, “Vostok” and “Mirny”, with Lazarev and Bellshausen at the head. On January 29, 1821, ships saw a coast called Alexander I Land. It was Antarctica - greatest discovery XIX century. The expedition, having spent 751 days sailing, covered more than 90 thousand kilometers and discovered 29 islands, as well as coral rocks.

A whole galaxy of geographers explored the mountain ranges and deserts of Central Asia. The name of the humanist scientist N. Miklouho-Maclay, a scientist, stands out somewhat especially among geographers. who set the goal not to penetrate into the depths of the ocean and not to pass through untrodden lands, but to penetrate into the depths of human society on earth.

The purpose of the proposed selection of postcards is to briefly acquaint the reader with the activities of Russian geographers and researchers and talk about the enormous contribution made by them to world geographical science, both in terms of the breadth of the problems posed and in the number and significance of discoveries.
P. Pavlinov

Afanasy Nikitin


Afanasy Nikitin


“Until now, geographers did not know that the honor of one of the oldest described European journeys to India belongs to Russia of the Johannine century. While Vasco da Gama was only thinking about the possibility of finding a way from Africa to Hindustan, our Tverite was already traveling along the shores of Malobar.” This is what N. Karamzin said about the notes he found from the 15th century Russian merchant Afanasy Nikitin, “Walking across Three Seas.” Leaving Tver in the summer of l466, a caravan of merchant ships led by Afanasy Nikitin descended along the Volga and Caspian Sea to Baku. Further the path lay through Persia to India on the Malobar coast.
The Indians appreciated Nikitin's friendly disposition towards them. Responding to his trust, they willingly devoted him to the peculiarities of their life and customs. Over the course of three years, Afanasy Nikitin collected the most interesting information about the “Bakhmani state,” the largest power in India in the 15th century. “Walking across Three Seas” was highly appreciated by his contemporaries: in 1472, the traveler’s diary was included in the Chronicle of the Russian State.

Ivan Moskvitin


Ivan Moskvitin


After the defeat of Khan Kuchum in 1598, “Sibirskaya Zemlya” (Western Siberia) was included in the Russian state. And, naturally, there was a desire to explore areas rich in “soft junk” and “fish teeth.” A detachment of Cossacks of 31 people in 1639 under the command of Ivan Yuryevich Moskvitin, having learned from local residents(Evenov), what the mountain range Dzhugdzhur is Lama (Sea of ​​Okhotsk), they dragged boats through the mountains and, going down the Ulye River in boats, reached the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. At the mouth of the Ulya they set up several huts, fenced them off and dug a ditch. This was the first Russian settlement on the Pacific coast. The pioneers explored the harsh Sea of ​​Okhotsk, moving away from the shores at times by 500 - 700 kilometers.
Information about the “new lands” was included in the Yakut “Paintings of rivers and names of people on which rivers and people live.” The Russian Cossacks modestly described their campaign: “Before Lama, the marchers fed on wood, bark, and roots, but on Lama, along the rivers you can get a lot of fish and you can be well-fed.”

Erofey Khabarov
Hike to the Amur


Erofey Khabarov


Captivated by tales of wealth Amur land, Khabarov turned to the Yakut governor with a request to send him at the head of a detachment of Cossacks to the Amur. The voivode invited Khabarov not only to collect yasak, but also to describe the life of the local peoples, draw up “drawings” (maps) of the area and describe natural conditions. Initially traveling by boat along the rivers of the Lena basin, Khabarov wrote down: “In the rapids, gear was torn, slops were broken, people were hurt...”. Even more difficult was the pass over the snow-covered Stanovoy Range, when, having hoisted the boats onto sledges, they had to be dragged. Khabarov made a number of campaigns in the Amur region and the rich Daurian land in 1649 - 1651. In one of his reports, he writes: “And along the rivers there live many, many Tungus, and down the glorious great Amur River live the Daurian people, arable and cattle-farming, and in that great Amur River there is calushka fish, and sturgeon, and all sorts of fish opposite the Volga. And in the cities and uluses there are great arable lands, the forests along that great river are dark, large, there are a lot of sables and all kinds of animals. And in the ground you can see gold and silver.”

Semyon Dezhnev
Opening of the strait between Asia and America


Semyon Dezhnev


“Mangazeya passage” - the path from the mouth of the Northern Dvina, Mezen to Ob Bay- a bright page in the history of Russian sea travel. This is the way Ustyug resident Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnev “went” to Siberia. In 1643, he led a detachment that set off on Kochs across the Kolyma and further to the east. According to Dezhnev’s report, three Kochas were approaching the “Big Stone Nose” (the most northeastern point of the Asian continent): Fedot Alekseeva (Popova), Semyon Dezhnev and Gerasim Ankidinov. “But that bow went out into the sea much further and a lot of good Chukhchi people live on it...” notes Dezhnev in his “reply”. Having lost Ankidinov's koch, Dezhnev and Popov turned their ships south and entered the strait separating Asia from America. Fog, which is common in these places, did not allow them to see Alaska.
Thanks to this expedition, on the “Drawing” Siberian land"In 1667, an image of Northeast Asia appeared. The name of Dezhnev is crowned with the glory of the discovery of the strait between Asia and America, the Chukotka Peninsula, and the Anadyr Territory.

Vitus Bering and A.I. Chirikov
1st and 2nd Kamchatka expeditions


Vitus Bering and A.I. Chirikov


When the Russian Empire stretched from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, the time had come to accurately define its borders and the outlines of its sea coasts. For this purpose, Peter I decided to send an expedition to the Pacific Ocean. It was necessary to clarify not only the issue of borders and scientific “curiosity”, but also to open sea routes for trade with “gold-rich” Japan, according to the concept of that time. Vitus Bering, a Dane who served in Russia for many years, was appointed head of the 1st Kamchatka expedition (1725-1730), and Alexey Ilyich Chirikov was appointed assistant.
Bering bypassed the eastern coast of Kamchatka, the southern and eastern shore Chukotka, discovered the St. Lawrence Islands. Having passed through the Chukchi Sea to a latitude of 6718" and seeing that "the land does not extend further to the north", Bering, despite the proposal of Alexei Ilyich Chirikov to continue further north, considered the question of the existence of a strait between Asia and America to be resolved positively and turned back. In St. Petersburg, the results of the expedition were considered unsatisfactory. Bering received instructions for a new voyage. The instructions determined the scope and tasks of the 2nd Kamchatka and the associated Great Northern Expedition (1733 - 1743), which were tasked with making a description of the entire northern and eastern coasts of Siberia and familiarizing themselves with it. the shores of America and Japan and finally clarify the issue of the strait between Asia and America. The main objectives of the expedition were fulfilled. The survey materials produced during the expeditions were used by cartographers for two centuries.

H. Laptev and S. Chelyuskin


H. Laptev and S. Chelyuskin


In 1730, Bering, who returned from Kamchatka, began to equip an expanded expedition (2-Kamchatka): some ships were to be sent along the Pacific Ocean to Japan and the Americas, and others along the Arctic Ocean to describe and map the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The expedition in the North of Russia lasted 10 years (from 1733 to 1743) and in terms of its objectives, the size of the territories covered, and the results, it was rightly called the Great Sverpa Expedition. The expedition consisted of separate land and sea detachments that had bases at the mouths of large rivers in the North of Siberia. Its participants were Khariton and Dmitry Laptev, S. Chelyuskin, S. Malygin, V. Pronchishchev and many others. All of them showed unparalleled courage and perseverance in achieving their goal. As a result, a huge amount of material was collected about the nature of the northern seas, thousands of kilometers of the coast of the Arctic Ocean were mapped, large territories of the Russian North, and the life and way of life of the peoples inhabiting them were explored and described.

I.F.Kruzenshtern and Yu.F.Lisyansky
The first Russian trip around the world


I.F.Kruzenshtern and Yu.F.Lisyansky


By the beginning of the 19th century, there was a need to establish regular flights Russian ships from the Baltic ports to Russian ports on Pacific Ocean. In 1802, the Naval Ministry accepted the proposal of Lieutenant-Commander I. F. Kruzenshtern to organize the first Russian round-the-world expedition (1803 - 1806). The purpose of the expedition was: delivery of goods to Russian possessions in North America and Kamchatka, establishment of trade relations with Japan and China, research in the tropical part of the Pacific Ocean and near Russian possessions. Yu. F. Lisyansky was appointed Krusenstern's assistant. The expedition had two ships, Nadezhda and Neva. During the trip, the world map was refined, a number of islands were discovered, and numerous oceanographic research. The descriptions of the life, customs, economy, and social structure of the inhabitants of Sakhalin and Kamchatka deserve special attention. Kruzenshtern compiled the Atlas South Sea" - the most accurate for that time.

F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev
Discovery of Antarctica


F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev


In 1819, two military sloops set out from Kronstadt on a circumnavigation of the world: “Vostok” and “Mirny” under the command of Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen and Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev. The expedition had to decide an ancient riddle about the Southern Continent. Having overcome the enormous difficulties of sailing in ice conditions, the ships approached Antarctica. According to Lazarev’s companion on the expedition, midshipman Novosilsky, “the Russians were given the honor for the first time to lift the corner of the curtain hiding the distant, mysterious south, and to prove that behind the ice wall encircling it, islands and lands lurk.” On January 10, 1821, the sailors of the Mirny and Vostok simultaneously saw an island, which they called the island of Peter I. Then a coast was discovered, called the Alexander I Coast.

F.P.Litke
Exploration of Novaya Zemlya

F.P.Litke


A major contribution to the study of Novaya Zemlya belongs to the navigator Admiral Fyodor Petrovich Litka, who, during expeditions in 1821 - 1824, for the first time since Barents, examined and mapped the entire western coast of Novaya Zemlya, the Murmansk coast, explored eastern part Barents and White seas. In 1826 - 1829, on the sloop Senyavin, Litke, leading a round-the-world expedition, explored and mapped the islands of the Caroline Archipelago, and surveyed Bonin Island. Fyodor Petrovich Litke was one of the founders of the Russian Geographical Society. A gold medal was established in his honor.

G.I.Nevelskoy


G.I.Nevelskoy


In the report of Admiral G. I. Nevelsky on the results of the voyage in 1848-1849 on the Baikal transport, it is written: “... we discovered
1) that Sakhalin is an island separated from the mainland by a strait 4 miles wide and having a minimum depth of 5 fathoms;
2) that the entrance to the Amur is from the north from Sea of ​​Okhotsk and from the south from the Tatar Strait, as well as communication through the Amur Estuary of the Seas of Japan and Okhotsk is available for sea vessels;
3) that on the southwestern coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk there is an extensive roadstead, closed from all winds, which I called the Gulf of St. Nicholas...”
Many saw Nevelskbgo’s action as a daring violation of instructions. After all, Nicholas 1 himself ordered: “The question of the Amur, as a useless river, should be left.” A special committee threatened to demote Nevelsky to sailor status. But still, he managed to prove the need to create the Amur Expedition (1850 - 1855), which explored the vast expanses of the Amur region and the island of Sakhalin. In 1854, Primorsky Krai was annexed to Russia.

P.P. Semenov Tian-Shansky


P.P. Semenov Tian-Shansky


The travels of the great Russian explorer Pyotr Petrovich Semenov-Tyan-Shansky marked the beginning of a new period in the study of Central and Central Asia. The results of the scientist’s research showed that the Tien Shan mountains are not of volcanic origin. During the expedition, he collected a large mineralogical collection, a herbarium, a collection of insects and mollusks, and valuable ethnographic material. The artist P. Kosharov provided great assistance to the geographer in his research, who made great amount sketches of the places through which the expedition passed.
The famous Soviet geographer Yu. Shakalsky wrote: “For us, old workers of the Society, the names Pyotr Petrovich and the Geographical Society are inseparable.” For more than 40 years, Semenov-Tyan-Shansky headed the Russian Geographical Society and was the direct organizer and ideological leader of the expeditions of N. Przhevalsky, G. Potanin, P. Kozlov and many others.

N.M. Przhevalsky


N.M. Przhevalsky


“In the history of science there are scientists whose ideas and works constitute an entire era. Such scientists include Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky,” wrote Doctor of Geographical Sciences E. Murzaev about the traveler. The routes of the expeditions of the great Russian traveler (from 1867 to 1888) covered the vast expanses of Central Asia. Przhevalsky was the first to describe in detail the deserts of the Gobi, Ordos, Dzungaria and Kashgaria, and was the first to suggest that the Gobi Desert is a huge bowl with a predominance of rocky and clayey soils. He refuted the theory of the famous geographer and traveler Humboldt about the grid direction of the central ridges Tibetan plateau, proving their predominantly latitudinal direction. He was the first to describe the ridges of the Kuen Lun system, discovered the system of Nanshan ridges, and discovered a number of ridges of Humboldt, Columbus, Przewalski and others.
During his expeditions, the scientist collected remarkable collections of flora and fauna of Central Asia. His herbariums, which included unique plants, numbered 15 - 16 thousand plants. Przhevalsky collected a huge collection of animals. He discovered and described a wild camel and a wild horse, which received the name of Przhevalsky.

N.N. Miklouho-Maclay


N.N. Miklouho-Maclay


Academician L. Berg said excellently about N. Miklukh-Maclay: “While other geographers discovered new ones, hitherto unknown lands“Miklouho-Maclay sought first of all to discover Man among the “primitive” peoples he studied, that is, peoples not affected by European culture.” It is hardly possible to more accurately characterize the goal to which the life of the outstanding Russian traveler was dedicated.
In 1871, the Russian corvette Vityaz landed the scientist on the shore of New Guinea (now the Maclay Coast), where he lived among the Papuans for 15 months. “The Man from the Moon,” as the natives called him, with courage and trust, throwing away his weapons, sought the favor and love of the Papuans. MiklouhoMaclay became their faithful friend, with whom they parted with tears.
The traveler brought home diaries, sketches, and collections that contained valuable ethnographic material. The diaries of Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklouho-Maclay were published only after the October Revolution.

S.O. Makarov


S.O. Makarov


Among the famous Russian naval commanders, the name of Stepan Osipovich Makarov stands out - admiral, talented scientist, tireless polar explorer. 33-year-old Makarov, commanding the steamship Taman, on his own initiative began studying the currents in the Bosphorus Strait. He made more than 5 thousand observations with a device he invented - a fluctometer and proved the presence of two opposite currents: the upper one, from the Black Sea, and the lower one, from the Mediterranean Sea. Sailing on the corvette Vityaz, Makarov continued hydrological observations along all sailing routes: he measured the temperature and density of water at various depths, and studied currents in different layers. The scientist systematized the research of expeditions in the Pacific Ocean in the two-volume work “Vityaz” and “The Pacific Ocean” (1894), which was awarded a prize from the Academy of Sciences and a gold medal from the Russian Geographical Society. Stepan Osipovich Makarov also came up with the idea of ​​creating the world's first powerful icebreaker, the Ermak.

P.K. Kozlov


P.K. Kozlov


Spent fifteen years outstanding researcher on expeditions to the deserts and cities of Central Asia. On horseback, on foot and on camels, he made his way to the most remote and inaccessible areas. The length of his travels is over 40 thousand km. Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov owns one of the most outstanding archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century: the find dead city Khara-Khoto in the sands of Mongolia and burial mounds of the ancient Huns in the Mongolian Altai; he researched and described largest river Asia - Mekong, in 1905, the first European met and talked with the Dalai Lama, who was then in Mongolia. Kozlov left an unforgettable impression upon the discovery of Khara-Khoto. The excavations made the Russian geographer famous throughout the world. Manuscripts, books, paintings, household and religious objects of the 11th - 12th centuries AD were discovered here. During the expeditions, the scientist collected valuable materials about the geology, climate, flora and fauna of Tibet and about little-known or completely unknown Eastern Tibetan tribes.

G.Ya.Sedov
Path to the North Pole


G.Ya.Sedov


On February 2, 1914, the already seriously ill famous polar explorer Georgy Yakovlevich Sedov left his last winter in the bay Quiet island Hooker. For almost a year and a half, Sedov’s expedition, which left Arkhangelsk on the ship “St. Foka" in August 1912, sought to break through the ice to the North Pole. But the attempt ended in failure. On February 20, 1914, before reaching Rudolf Island, Sedov died and was buried on Cape Auk of this island.
However, according to Nansen, the materials obtained by the brave researcher on Novaya Zemlya alone completely paid for the entire expedition, so great is their scientific value.




Everything that we know now was once discovered by people - pioneers. Some swam across the ocean for the first time and found new land, someone became a space discoverer, someone was the first to dive into the deepest cavity in the world in a bathyscaphe. Thanks to the ten pioneers below, today we know the world as it really is.

  • Leif Eriksson/Leifur Eiriksson is the first European of Icelandic origin, who, according to some scientists, was the first to visit the continent of North America. Around the 11th century, this Scandinavian sailor lost his course and landed on some shore, which he later called “Vinland”. Of course, there is no documentary evidence of which part North America he landed. Some archaeologists claim that they have discovered Viking settlements in Newfoundland, Canada.
  • Sacajawea, or Sakagawea/Sakakawea, Sacajawea is a girl of Indian origin, on whom Meriwether Lewis and his partner William Clark completely relied during their expedition, the path of which ran across the entire American continent. The girl walked with these researchers more than 6,473 kilometers. On top of that, the girl had a newborn baby in her arms. During this journey in 1805, Sacagawea found her lost brother. The girl is mentioned in the films "Night at the Museum" and "Night at the Museum 2".

  • Christopher Columbus is a navigator of Spanish origin who discovered America, but because he and his expedition were looking for a sea route to India, Christopher believed that the lands he discovered were Indian. In 1492, his expedition discovered the Bahamas, Cuba and a number of other islands Caribbean. Christopher set sail for the first time at the age of 13.

  • Amerigo Vespucci is the man after whom the continent of America was named. Although Columbus essentially made this discovery, it was Americo Vespucci who documented the “find”. In 1502, he explored the shores of South America, and it was then that well-deserved fame and honor came to him.

  • James Cook is a captain who managed to sail much further into southern waters than any of his contemporaries. Cook owns a proven fact about the falsity of the northern route through the Arctic from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. It is known that Captain James Cook made 2 expeditions around the world, mapped the islands in the Pacific Ocean, as well as Australia, for which he was subsequently eaten by the aborigines. So much gratitude.

  • William Beebe is a twentieth-century naturalist explorer. In 1934, he descended to 922 meters on a bathysphere and told people that “the world under water is no less strange than on another planet.” Although how does he know how life is on other planets?

  • Chuck Yeager is a general in the US Air Force. In 1947, the first one broke the sound barrier. In 1952, Chuck flew at twice the speed of sound. Chuck Yeager, in addition to setting speed records, was a trainer for pilots of such space programs as Apollo, Gemini and Mercury.

  • Louise Arne Boyd known to the world also under the nickname "Ice Woman". She received this nickname due to her explorations of Greenland. In 1955, she flew over the North Pole and was the first woman to do so in an airplane. She is also responsible for the discovery of underwater mountain range in the Arctic Ocean.

  • Yuri Gagarin / Yuri Gagarin - April 12, 1961, the first of all people living on our planet to be in space. Its first flight lasted a whopping 108 minutes. This was a real achievement in astronautics.

  • Anousheh Ansari is the first female space tourist. She made her flight in September 2006. One can add to her achievements the fact that she was the first of all those who have been in orbit to blog on the Internet from space.

The article contains information about Russian navigators and explorers. Reflects the significance of the discoveries they made. Includes some historical information.

Russian travelers and discoverers

Russian travelers made an invaluable contribution to the field of geographical discoveries, as well as to the exploration and exploration of space globe. Many significant objects on Earth are named in their honor. For example:

  • Cape Dezhnev;
  • Bering Sea;
  • Semenov Glacier.

Scientific research of Russian discoverers and, compiled by them, detailed maps were of great importance for the development of geography not only in Russia, but also in the world.
Almost three decades earlier than Vasco da Gama, the merchant from Tver Afanasy Nikitin (year of birth unknown - died in 1474) visited India.

He set off on trade business. During his wanderings (1468-1474), Nikitin visited many previously unexplored countries. He lived in India for three years. All this time he wrote down his every step in detail. Later, the book “Walking across the Three Seas” was published, which was based on his notes. The book contained both notes and illustrations made by Nikitin.

Rice. 1. Afanasy Nikitin.

Discoveries in the Heat of Struggle

Almost all travelers of the 15th-16th centuries are known in history more as invaders of lands than as their discoverers and pioneers. These people were puzzled by the search for wealth in overseas countries. This is what drove them in the process of searching for new lands. Significant geographical discoveries came out as if by themselves. Approximately the same story happened with the development of Siberia. But the opinions of historians differ on this matter.

Ermak Timofeevich Alenin (1530/1540 -1585) is rightly considered the pioneer of these lands.

TOP 4 articleswho are reading along with this

Rice. 2. Ermak.

He was sent by Ivan the Terrible to protect his lands from the raids of the Nogai Horde.

After the surviving Horde members complained to the Moscow Tsar about the willfulness of the local Cossacks, Ivan the Terrible allegedly punished the troublemakers by allowing them to retreat to the Perm lands, where the Cossacks came in very handy and continued to defend Russian possessions from the raids of the Siberian Khan Kuchum. Since then, the development of the richest region of Russia began.

After the death of the famous ataman, many regions of Russia claimed that Ermak was a native of their places.

Table “Discoveries of Russian travelers”

At the beginning of the 16th century, it was difficult for the peoples of the North to establish trade relations with India. The Spanish and Portuguese colonists did not want to allow strangers into the territories they conquered.
In those days, the passage through the Arctic Ocean to the Pacific was known to people only by rumor.
But in the Russian lands a man was found who was not afraid to go on a dangerous journey across the Arctic Ocean. This was the Russian navigator, explorer and traveler Semyon Dezhnev (1605-1673).

Rice. 3. Semyon Dezhnev.

Exploration of the northeastern section of the sea route from the Arctic Ocean to the Pacific is closely intertwined with his name. His voyage and subsequent discovery of the strait between America and Asia is often equated with the journey of the famous discoverer of America, Christopher Columbus.
Another famous Russian navigator who contributed to world geography, became Vitus Bering. He became the first traveler in Russian history to lead a purposeful expedition with a geographical focus.

Bering led two Kamchatka expeditions. While passing between the Chukotka Peninsula and Alaska, they confirmed the presence of a strait.

The strait between Russia and the United States was named after the navigator. Bering reached North America, where he discovered the islands of the Aleutian chain during the Second Kamchatka Expedition.

What have we learned?

From the topic on geography (5th grade), we became familiar with the difficulties that prevented discoveries. We found out the reasons that influenced the discovery of previously unknown territories.

Test on the topic

Evaluation of the report

Average rating: 4.7. Total ratings received: 545.

Almost every corner of the Earth has now been explored. There is no longer any place left where no human foot has gone. Even arctic ice yielded under his pressure.

But it was not always so. For our ancestors, our planet was unknown and mysterious world, and new countries, strange customs and tribes were hidden behind the horizon.

The most famous travelers made a great contribution to the study of the Earth, whose names remain forever in our memory, because... It was they who made world discoveries that changed people’s understanding of our planet.

10. Francis Drake

A strait located between Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego was named after him. California has Drake Bay.

From the age of 12, Francis, the son of an ordinary farmer, became a cabin boy on the ship of his distant relative. From the age of 18 he was already a captain.

In 1567, his ship took part in an expedition. These ships were attacked by the Spaniards, most of which they sank. Only 2 ships survived, one of which belonged to Francis Drake. The British demanded compensation for all losses, but the Spaniards refused.

Then the young captain swore that he himself would take everything from the King of Spain. In 1577 he was sent to the coast of America. By official version, he was supposed to discover new lands, but in fact the goal was more prosaic - gold. Due to a storm, Drake discovered a strait that received his name.

9. Afanasy Nikitin


The famous Russian traveler became famous for being one of the first Europeans who was able to get to. He visited there before the Portuguese travelers.

Afanasy Nikitin born into the family of an ordinary peasant. He became a merchant, but was remembered by his descendants as a man who not only reached India and Persia, but also described it in his book "Walking across three seas". Before this, Russian literature had written only about pilgrimage, and this was a description of a commercial trip, where he talked about the culture and economy of these countries, about their political structure.

8. Roald Amundsen


Norwegian explorer, famous for his polar expeditions. He was the first person to reach the South Pole, and also the very first traveler to visit both poles of the planet.

The expedition, which was organized in 1926, is the first to claim to have reached North Pole. He was the winner of many state and public awards.

Roald Amundsen at the insistence of his mother he entered Faculty of Medicine, but as soon as she died, he left him with relief. Fateful in his life was his acquaintance with the fate of Rear Admiral John Franklin and a description of his hardships. He began preparing for this feat at the age of 16, living a Spartan life: diet, sleeping outdoors and in winter, physical exercise, constant skiing, etc.

His first voyage was on the hunting ship Morgenen, where he wanted to prepare for the navigator's rank. A young polar explorer was waiting ahead interesting life, full of adventures and discoveries.

Most of his life was spent on expeditions; he never married and had no children. The famous traveler died at the age of 55 during the search for the expedition of Umberto Nobile.

7. Amerigo Vespucci


Florentine traveler, after whom it received its name. He was an ordinary financier who helped supply Christopher Columbus's 2nd and 3rd expeditions.

In 1499, at the age of 45, he decides to set off on a long journey himself. Amerigo Vespucci believed that sailing was a profitable business, so he was ready to conquer the world at his own expense.

Vespucci became one of the discoverers of the territory where Brazil was later located. The former financier was the first to realize that the shores of Brazil are not islands, but new lands, which he called the New World. In 1507, a map appeared in France with the contours of a new continent, which they called "land of Amerigo", and later began to be called America.

6. David Livingston


He was not an explorer, but a Scottish missionary. But, while fulfilling his difficult mission, he at the same time studied and told the whole world about it.

David Livingston Born into a poor family, he began working in a weaving factory at the age of 10. But this did not stop the boy from studying independently; he studied mathematics, Latin and Greek, entered the university and became a doctor.

Livingston became a missionary in 1840 and spent the next 15 years traveling constantly throughout the Central and South Africa, became an ardent fighter against the slave trade, and created a reputation for himself as a convinced Christian.

His life was difficult, but interesting, full of adventures, Africans called him “The Great Lion”.

David was the first European to cross the Kalahari Desert, after which he discovered and explored Lake Ngami. He also discovered Lake Dilolo.

Livingston and his companions were the first to find the waterfall, which the traveler named in honor of Queen Victoria. Now near this waterfall there is a monument to the great explorer. He spent most of his life in Africa.

5. Ferdinand Magellan


He was a navigator with the title "adelantado", which meant "leader of the conquistadors (conquerors)" who explored and conquered lands outside the Spanish possessions.

Ferdinand Magellan did the first trip around the world. He became the first European who was able to cross the sea from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, opening the strait named after him. Magellan belonged to a noble family.

In 1498, the Portuguese opened the road to India. They began to equip ships to conquer the east. On one of them was Magellan, who took part in the battles with everyone else. Soon he comes up with a plan for a journey that would later make him famous.

He asks the king to send him on a voyage, but he refuses. Then the traveler decides to move to, where he was able to create his own expedition of 5 ships. The journey was difficult, but as a result they found a strait, moving along which they were able to enter the ocean after 38 days.

The expedition was the first to reach Philippine Islands, which Magellan called the Archipelago of Saint Lazarus. The brave navigator died early, at the age of 40, while participating in a military expedition against the Lapu-Lapu tribe of Mactan Island, whose leader did not want to obey Spain. He never lived to see the end of the world's first circumnavigation.

4. Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay


Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay was not only a traveler, but also a biologist and anthropologist, who devoted his life to studying the populations of Australia, Oceania and Asia. He was an ardent opponent of the slave trade, and was against the theory, popular at that time, that the black races were a transitional species from apes to humans.

He is our compatriot, born in the Novgorod province, studied at St. Petersburg University. In 1870 he went to New Guinea, where he lived among the Papuans, studying their life and rituals, and later continued his observations in neighboring regions.

3. Vasco da Gama


The famous Portuguese navigator who was the first to sail from Europe to India. Born into a family, in his youth he joined the Order of Santiago, and from a young age he participated in naval battles.

In those years, finding a sea route to India was the task of the century, because... it would bring enormous benefits. AND Vasco da Gama was able to do this, after which he became a representative of the nobility, and over time he was awarded the title of “Admiral of the Indian Ocean.”

2. James Cook


The famous navigator was born into the family of a poor Scottish farm laborer, and after 5 years of school he worked on a farm.

At the age of 18, he is hired as a cabin boy on his first ship. Thus begins his career as a sailor, which made James Cook famous.

He was at the head of 3 expeditions that explored the World Ocean. He paid a lot of attention to cartography; the maps he compiled were used until the second half of the 19th century. I learned to fight such a common disease in those days as scurvy.

He was known for his friendly attitude towards the indigenous inhabitants of the territories he explored, but died at the age of 50, killed by the aborigines Hawaiian Islands.

1. Christopher Columbus


About the life of this famous navigator a lot has been said. He was the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean and visit the Caribbean and Sargasso Sea. He was the discoverer of Central and South America.

Coming from a poor Genoese family, he received a good education. Dreaming of getting to India by a short sea route, Christopher Columbus makes a lot of efforts to implement his projects, but they all turn out to be unsuccessful.

Queen Isabella helped make his dream come true, and she agreed to pawn her jewels for the sake of a great idea.

4 expeditions were organized. Columbus died at the age of 55; the enormous significance of his discoveries was recognized much later, and during his lifetime his monopoly right to discover new lands was revoked; moreover, he was arrested and sent to Spain in shackles.

Description of the presentation by individual slides:

1 slide

Slide description:

2 slide

Slide description:

Italian traveler Marco Polo (1254-1324). In 1271-75 he traveled to China, where he lived for approx. 17 years. In 1292-95 he returned to Italy by sea. The “Book” written in his words (1298) is one of the first sources of European knowledge about the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. and Yuzh. Asia.

3 slide

Slide description:

This is a period in human history, beginning in the 15th century and lasting until the 17th century, during which Europeans discovered new lands and sea ​​routes to Africa, America, Asia and Oceania in search of new trading partners and sources of goods used in great demand in Europe. Historians generally associate the "Great Discovery" with the pioneering long sea voyages of Portuguese and Spanish explorers in search of alternative trade routes to the "Indies" for gold, silver and spices.

4 slide

Slide description:

He is the first to reliably famous travelers crossed the Atlantic Ocean and sailed in the Caribbean Sea. He marked the beginning of the discovery of the continent of South America. He discovered all the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, etc.), the Lesser Antilles and about. Trinidad. On his first expedition, he equipped 3 ships: “Santa Maria”, “Pinta”, “Nina”. In total, Columbus made 4 trips to America. Named after Columbus: State in South America- Colombia Mount Cristobal Colon in Colombia. Federal District of Columbia in the USA. Columbia River in the USA and Canada. Cities in the USA Columbus and Columbia. Streets in Volgograd and Astrakhan, squares in New York and Zelenogad. thin John Vanderline. Columbus's landing in America.

5 slide

Slide description:

Columbus can be called the discoverer of America with reservations. Back in the Middle Ages, Icelandic Vikings visited North America, but nothing was known about this outside Scandinavia. It was Columbus's expeditions that made information about America public knowledge. First island from Bahamas was opened on October 12, 1492. Map of Columbus's four expeditions. Queen Isabella of Castile and Columbus Monument to Columbus in Bremerhaven in Germany Replica of the ship “Santa Maria”.

6 slide

Slide description:

Florentine traveler. There is an opinion that he received this nickname or named himself so in honor of the already named continent. As a navigator, he took part in expeditions to new lands in 1499 using Columbus's maps, and gave them the name Venezuela - Little Venice, discovered the Amazon delta and mapped 22 other objects. In 1500 -1504 he made two more journeys from Portugal to the lands of the new continent. From 1505 he served as a helmsman in the Spanish service for travel to India. According to legend, Christopher Columbus believed until the end of his days that he had discovered a new route to India. But soon the opinion spread that it was not India that had been discovered, but a new continent. One of the first supporters of this version was Amerigo Vespucci, whose name the new part of the world acquired. It is believed that the term itself “ New World” could have been proposed in 1503 by the same Vespucci, but this opinion is disputed.

7 slide

Slide description:

He took part in equipping Columbus's second and third expeditions and maintained friendly relations with him. According to the stories of his contemporaries, Amerigo was an exceptionally fair, intelligent and observant person. He had a talent for writing, and quite often exaggerated when talking about the nature and people of new lands, but never talk about the leaders of the expeditions and his role in these expeditions. In honor of Amerigo Vespucci they named: A three-deck training frigate, launched in February 1931 in Naples. Airport in Italian city Florence. Main street in the city of Lima, the capital of Chile. A bridge spanning the Arno River in the Italian city of Florence. A section of the Arno River embankment in Florence. AMERICUS VESPUCIUS

8 slide

Slide description:

Portuguese navigator, known as the first European to complete cruise to India. On July 8, 1497, 4 ships left Lisbon: 2 large three-masted ships “San Gabriel” (flagship ship) and “San Rafael”, a light caravel “Berriu” and a transport ship for transporting supplies. Were in disarray best cards and navigation devices. A Brazilian football club is named after a city in Goa is named. long bridge in Europe in Lisbon. The Adidas football sword model is named after the ship's logbook. Monument to Vasco da Gamma in front of the church in Sines.

Slide 9

Slide description:

Only 5 years before his death, Da Gamma received land holdings and the title of count. Only 2 ships returned after the expedition in September 1499. However, from a financial point of view, the expedition was unusually successful - the proceeds of goods brought from India were 60 times higher than the costs of the expedition. The padran - a stone pillar with an image of the royal coat of arms of Portugal and an inscription - was placed as a sign of the transition of the territory to the control of Portugal. Padran at the Cape of Good Hope.

10 slide

Slide description:

English naval sailor, explorer, cartographer, member of the Royal Society. He led three expeditions to explore the World Ocean, all around the world. Surveyed and mapped East Coast Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific, Indian and atlantic oceans. On February 14, 1779 he was killed by the inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands. After the military operation, some parts of Kuku's body were returned by the aborigines and buried at sea. 1st expedition - ship “Endeavour” 2nd expedition – 2 ships “Resolution” and “Adventure” 3rd expedition – 2 ships “Resolution” and “Discovery” The strait between the islands of New Zealand is named in honor of Cook. Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Mountain on the islands of New Zealand. Cooktown in Australia. A bay off the coast of Alaska. The Apollo 12 spacecraft module was named after Endeavor.

 

It might be useful to read: