Travel doctor. Born in 1858; completed a course at the medical-surgical academy; served as a military doctor in Turkestan, the Baltic region and Finland. His first travels embrace the north of Russia, Finland and the Urals; in 1881 he visited Egypt, Cairo and Jerusalem and traveled through Syria to Damascus; in 1882 he was in Lapland, in 1884 in Palestine, and from there he traveled through Greece and Sicily to Tripoli, Tunisia, Algeria and the Sahara. On behalf of the Palestinian Society, in 1886, visited Asia Minor, exploring the path from Russia to the Holy Land. Consists of a doctor at the main military medical department. Descriptions of his travels E. places since 1878 in periodicals.

(Brockhaus)

Eliseev, Alexander Vasilievich (addition to the article)

travel doctor; died 1895

(Brockhaus)

Eliseev, Alexander Vasilievich

(Aug. 1, 1858 - May 22, 1895) - Russian. traveler and anthropologist. In 1882 he graduated from Mediko-khirurgich. academy in Petersburg. Studied north and northwest Europe. Russia, traveled to Sweden, Norway and Finland. Known Ch. arr. as an explorer of Asia Minor and Africa. In 1881 he traveled through Egypt and Arabia. By 1884-87, E.'s travels in Arabia, Algeria, Tunisia, Asia Minor, the results of which were publ. them in geographic and anthropological. essays and notes. He also traveled in Sudan (1893) and Abyssinia (1895). Works E. contain valuable geographic., Anthropological. and ethnography, observations presented vividly and interestingly.

Works: Around the world, vols. 1-4, 2nd ed., St. Petersburg 1901-1904.

Lit .: Babkov I.I., In Africa. Travels of E. P. Kovalevsky, V. V. Junker, A. V. Eliseev, M., 1949; Moschanskaya V. N., A. V. Eliseev’s travels around the world, M., 1956; Pershits A.I., Scientific and socio-political views of A.V. Eliseev, "News of the All-Union Geographical Society", 1953, no. 2.

Travel doctor. Born in 1858; completed a course at the medical-surgical academy; served as a military doctor in Turkestan, the Baltic region and Finland. His first travels embrace the north of Russia, Finland and the Urals; in 1881 he visited Egypt, Cairo and Jerusalem and traveled through Syria to Damascus; in 1882 he was in Lapland, in 1884 in Palestine, and from there he traveled through Greece and Sicily to Tripoli, Tunisia, Algeria and the Sahara. On behalf of the Palestinian Society, in 1886, he visited Asia Minor, exploring the path from Russia to the Holy Land. Consists of a doctor at the main military medical department. Descriptions of his travels E. places since 1878 in periodicals.

(Brockhaus)

Eliseev, Alexander Vasilievich (addition to the article)

travel doctor; died 1895

(Brockhaus)

Eliseev, Alexander Vasilievich

(Aug. 1, 1858 - May 22, 1895) - Russian. traveler and anthropologist. In 1882 he graduated from Mediko-khirurgich. academy in Petersburg. Studied north and northwest Europe. Russia, traveled to Sweden, Norway and Finland. Known Ch. arr. as an explorer of Asia Minor and Africa. In 1881 he traveled through Egypt and Arabia. By 1884-87, E.'s travels in Arabia, Algeria, Tunisia, Asia Minor, the results of which were publ. them in geographic and anthropological. essays and notes. He also traveled in Sudan (1893) and Abyssinia (1895). Works E. contain valuable geographic., Anthropological. and ethnography, observations presented vividly and interestingly.

Works: Around the world, vols. 1-4, 2nd ed., St. Petersburg 1901-1904.

Lit .: Babkov I.I., In Africa. Travels of E. P. Kovalevsky, V. V. Junker, A. V. Eliseev, M., 1949; Moschanskaya V. N., A. V. Eliseev’s travels around the world, M., 1956; Pershits A.I., Scientific and socio-political views of A.V. Eliseev, "News of the All-Union Geographical Society", 1953, no. 2.

. 2009 .

See what "Eliseev, Alexander Vasilyevich" is in other dictionaries:

Medical traveler (1858 1895). He graduated from the course at the Medical and Surgical Academy; served as a military doctor. His first travels (1875 1880) embrace the north of Russia, Finland and the Urals; in 1881 he visited Egypt and Syria; in 1882 he was in the Scandinavian ... ... Biographical Dictionary

Russian traveler. In 1882 he graduated from the Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg. traveled up north and northwest European Russia, in Sweden, Norway ... ...

Eliseev Alexander Vasilievich- (1858-1895), Russian anthropologist and geographer. Doctor by education. In 1881-82 he traveled through the Nile Valley. In 1883 he crossed the deserts between the Nile and the Red Sea, walked along the seashore to Suakin, Massawa and Aden. The most important... ... Encyclopedic reference book "Africa"

Travel doctor. Born in 1858; completed a course at the Medical-Surgical Academy; served as a military doctor in Turkestan, the Baltic region and Finland. His first travels embrace the north of Russia, Finland and the Urals; in 1881 he visited Egypt...

I doctor traveler. Born in 1858; completed a course at the Medical-Surgical Academy; served as a military doctor in Turkestan, the Baltic region and Finland. His first travels embrace the north of Russia, Finland and the Urals; in 1881 he visited ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

travel doctor; mind. in 1895 ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Eliseev is a Russian surname. Known bearers: Eliseev, Alexander Vasilyevich (1859-1895) Russian military doctor and traveler. Eliseev, Alexander Terentievich (born 1971) former Latvian football player, striker. Eliseev, ... ... Wikipedia

one . Alexander Vasilievich (1.VIII.1858 22.V.1895) Russian. traveller, physician and anthropologist. In 1875 he lived in northern Russia, Finland, and the Urals. In 1881 he visited Egypt and Syria; in 1882 traveled to Sweden and Norway. In 1883 84 again in Egypt, ... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

I Eliseev Alexander Vasilyevich, Russian traveler. In 1882 he graduated from the Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg. Traveled in the north and northwest ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- - scientist and writer, full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, professor of chemistry at St. Petersburg University; was born in the village Denisovka, Arkhangelsk province, November 8, 1711, died in St. Petersburg on April 4, 1765. At present… … Big biographical encyclopedia

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• , Eliseev Alexander Vasilievich. Russian doctor, traveler, writer, Alexander Vasilyevich Eliseev made his first expeditions in the northern and northwestern parts of European Russia, in Sweden, Norway and Finland. AT…
• By the white world. Travels in three parts of the Old World, Eliseev, Alexander Vasilievich. Russian doctor, traveler, writer, Alexander Vasilyevich Eliseev made his first expeditions in the northern and northwestern parts of European Russia, in Sweden, Norway and Finland. AT…

Introduction

Chapter 1. Brief biographical information of researchers

1.1 Afanasy Nikitin

1.2 Vasily Yakovlevich Gagara

2 Travelers XVIII- XX centuries.

2.3 Abraham Sergeevich Norov

2.5 Lev Semenovich Tsenkovsky

2.8 Vasily Vasilievich Junker

Chapter 2. Exploration of the African continent by Russian travelers

1 Research XV - XVII centuries.

1.1 Afanasy Nikitin

2.1 Vasily Grigorievich Grigorovich-Barsky

2.2 Matvei Grigorievich Kokovtsov

2.3 Abraham Sergeevich Norov

2.4 Egor Petrovich Kovalevsky

2.5 Lev Semenovich Tsenkovsky

2.6 Alexander Vasilyevich Eliseev

2.7 Alexander Ksaverievich Bulatovich

2.8 Vasily Vasilievich Junker

Chapter 3. "Russian" discoveries and geographical names in Africa

1 Discoveries XV - XX centuries.

Conclusion

List of sources used

INTRODUCTION

Africa is the second largest continent after Eurasia, washed by the Mediterranean Sea from the north, the Red Sea from the northeast, Atlantic Ocean from the west and the Indian Ocean from the east and south. The African continent is considered the ancestral home of mankind. This is evidenced archaeological finds, which made it possible to establish that one of the most ancient prehistoric people lived on this mainland.

The first explorations of Africa begin around the 5th century. BC e. The study of the African continent was carried out both by the ancient Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, and by the Egyptians themselves, who explored mainly the Nile River valley. Ptolemy also studied Africa. They made a map of the northern part of Africa. In the V - XV centuries. research in Africa was carried out by the Arabs.

The study of the African continent by Europeans dates back to the Middle Ages. From the end of the XIII century. they began to navigate the Nile, mainly for trading purposes. Subsequently, information about parts of the mainland visited by travelers began to appear in Europe.

From the 1st half of the 15th century. research in Africa began to carry out the Portuguese. A little later - the Dutch, British, French, Germans, etc.

In Russia, the first information about Africa began to appear from the middle of the 15th century, when Russian pilgrimages to Jerusalem began. The first Russian to travel to Africa is Vasily Poznyakov. In 1559 he visited Egypt, leaving written evidence of this. In 1472, on his way back from India, Afanasy Nikitin visited the Somali coast. At a later time, the voyage along the Nile to Nubia was carried out by the Kazan merchant-pilgrim Vasily Gagara. After him, visits to Egypt by Russian pilgrims become more frequent. In the XVIII century. V. Grigorovich-Barsky, M. Kokovtsev visited Africa and compiled reports on their trips. Later, in the 19th century, A. S. Norov, E. P. Kovalevsky, L. S. Tsenkovsky, V. V. Junker, and others traveled around Africa.

The studies of Russian travelers are little known to society in our time. This topic course work was chosen by me in order to get acquainted with Russian research in Africa, their main representatives and draw a conclusion about the work done by Russian researchers in the study of Africa, as well as their contribution to the formation scientific knowledge about this mainland.

The relevance of this topic lies in the fact that, on the basis of literary and historical research methods, to identify and consider the contribution of representatives of the Russian people to the formation and development geographical knowledge about Africa.

The purpose of this course work is to study the contribution of Russian travelers to the study of the African continent.

In accordance with the goal, the following tasks were defined:

-to consider representatives of the Russian people who conducted research on the African continent;

-to study their contribution to the formation of scientific knowledge about this part of the land;

-identify research areas;

-note the main discoveries made by Russian travelers in Africa;

-give geographical names on the map of Africa, given by Russian researchers in the process of their study of this continent;

-to determine the directions of modern research of Russians in Africa.

When writing a term paper, literary sources and Internet resources were used. The most important literary sources were the following: Zabrodskaya M.P. Russian travels in Africa. M., 1955.; Gornung M. B., Lipets Yu. G., Oleinikov N. N. History of discovery and exploration of Africa. M., 1973.; Africa through the eyes of our compatriots. M., 1974.; Magidovich IP, Magidovich VI Essays on the history of geographical discoveries. T. 3. M., 1984. Critical Resources Internet:<#"justify">CHAPTER 1

BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RESEARCHERS

The African continent has long attracted the attention of travelers from various countries. The first contact of representatives of the Russian people with Africa occurred in the 15th century, when Afanasy Nikitin, returning from India, reached the coast of Somalia. The first Russian who made a trip to Africa and left written evidence of this is Vasily Poznyakov, who visited Egypt in 1559. In the 17th century V. Gagara visited Africa. After him, travel to Africa became more frequent. The most famous Russian researchers are V. G. Grigorovich-Barsky, M. G. Kokovtsov, E. P. Kovalevsky, V. V. Junker, A. V. Eliseev, A. K. Bulatovich, L. S. Tsenkovsky , A. S. Norov. Each of them, in one way or another, contributed to the discovery and study of the African continent.

1 Travelers XV - XVII centuries.

Afanasy Nikitin is a merchant from Tver, a traveler who was the first European to visit India, the author of Journey Beyond the Three Seas (Fig. 1.1). The year of birth of A. Nikitin is unknown. Information about what made this merchant undertake in the late 1460s on a risky and long journey to the East, towards the three seas: the Caspian, Arabian and Black, is extremely scarce. He described it in his notes entitled "Journey Beyond the Three Seas."

Figure 1.1. Afanasy Nikitin.

The experienced merchant Nikitin had previously visited distant countries - Byzantium, Moldova, Lithuania, Crimea - and returned safely home with overseas goods. This journey began with the fact that Athanasius received a letter from the Grand Duke Tverskoy Mikhail Borisovich, intending to develop a wide trade in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bmodern Astrakhan.
AT Nizhny Novgorod Nikitin was supposed to join the Russian embassy of Vasily Papin for security reasons, but he had already gone south, and the trade caravan did not find him. Having waited for the Tatar ambassador to return from Moscow, Nikitin set off with him and other merchants. Near Astrakhan, a caravan of embassy and merchant ships was robbed by local robbers - Astrakhan Tatars. They took away from the merchants all the goods purchased on credit: returning to Russia without goods and without money threatened with a debt hole. The desire to improve things with the help of intermediary trade prompted Nikitin to go further south. Through Baku, he got to Persia, crossed it from the southern coast of the Caspian to Hormuz on the Persian Gulf and along the Indian Ocean by 1471 he sailed to India. There he spent three years. On the way back in 1474, Nikitin happened to visit the coast of East Africa, in Ethiopia, then he went to Arabia. Through Iran and Turkey, he reached the Black Sea. Arriving in Kafa (Feodosia, Crimea) in November, Nikitin did not dare to go further to Tver, deciding to wait for the merchant caravan in the spring. The undermined health of A. Nikitin made itself felt and he died unexpectedly. The place of his burial is conventionally considered to be Smolensk.

1.1.2 Vasili Yakovlevich Gagara

Gagara Vasily Yakovlevich - merchant, traveler, writer. Born in the last third of the 16th century. in the city of Ples. Lived in Kazan. Its main activity is trade with Persia. Made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In 1634, with a servant and 8 companions, he went along the Volga from Kazan to Astrakhan, and from there to Tiflis (Georgia) he examined the Metekhi temple, the ruins of the Tarikali fortification. In Jerusalem, he attended a reception with Metropolitan Athanasius of Bethlehem. In 1635 he arrived in Egypt. In Cairo and its environs, he examined Christian antiquities and the pyramids of the Egyptian pharaohs, visited the river. Nile. On the way home, he collected information about the foreign policy of Turkey, Poland, and Moldova. In Vinnitsa, he was detained and robbed by the Polish commander Kalinovsky, who mistook him for the Moscow ambassador to Turkey, A. Bukolov. All the papers and letters that were with him were taken away and taken to Warsaw to the Polish king Vladislav IV Vasa. Vasily Yakovlevich was in custody for 14 weeks and was released only on the basis of a letter sent from Moscow. In early May 1637 he returned to Moscow. For his wanderings and diplomatic successes, he was recorded "in the Living Hundred" with the order "to serve from Moscow." Died in Moscow. Gagara's travel notes are a vivid example of merchant pilgrimages. 19 lists of "Walking" by V. Gagara have been identified.

1.2 Travelers XVIII - XX centuries.

Vasily Grigorievich Grigorovich-Barsky (Fig. 1.2) was born in Kyiv in the family of a merchant. He studied at the Kiev-Mohyla Academy. Here he studied Slavic languages, Latin and the Law of God, and reached the class of rhetoric.

In April 1724 he set off on a journey that lasted almost 24 years. Having visited Poland, Austria, Rome and Venice, Vasily Grigorievich reached the island of Chios, and then Mount Athos. In 1726 he sailed to Palestine, visited Jerusalem, Mount Sinai, visited the island of Cyprus. Then Grigorovich-Barsky again went to the Sinai and Palestine. Everywhere the traveler was deeply interested in the life and history of the peoples of the Balkans and the Middle East.

Figure 1.2. V. G. Grigorovich-Barsky

In 1729 -1731 lived in Syria, where he studied at the local school Greek language. In Damascus, Grigorovich-Barsky was tonsured a monk under the name of Vasily. In 1747 he returned to Kyiv through Bulgaria, Romania and Poland. Vasily Grigorievich fell seriously ill: the difficulties and deprivations of long wanderings did not pass without a trace.

Main labor Grigorovich-Barsky - travel notes in which he calls himself either Barsky, then Belyaev-Plaki-Albov, then Vasily Kievsky. These notes contain rich and varied geographical, historical, archaeological and art history material on the countries of the southeastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. Vasily Grigorievich died in 1747.

1.2.2 Matvei Grigorievich Kokovtsov (1745 - 1793)

Kokovtsov Matvei Grigorievich was born into a family of hereditary nobles of the Novgorod province. From 1760 he studied at the Marine cadet corps. In 1765 he was sent abroad for practice and until 1768 was sailing on the Maltese galleys in the Mediterranean. In 1768-1774. participated in the Russian-Turkish war. He visited the islands of the Greek archipelago, Tunisia, Algeria and made a description of them. In 1776, Matvey Grigorievich was sent to Spain for two years, officially - "to familiarize himself with the local fleet and ports"; in reality - to collect information about the military-political situation in Algeria and Tunisia. Under the guise of a merchant's attorney, Kokovtsov examined Bizerte; in Tunis, he introduced himself to the Tunisian bey as a Russian nobleman who was getting acquainted with the ruins of Carthage; under the guise of a Frenchman examining the ruins of Giton, he visited Algeria. Through Gibraltar, the traveler returned to St. Petersburg at the beginning of 1779. In the 1780s Matvey Grigoryevich made a number of voyages to the Mediterranean Sea as a ship commander. In 1785 he was forced to retire. He spent the rest of his life in the Gorno-Pokrovskoye estate in the Novgorod province.

Giving a description of the islands of the archipelago, Matvei Grigorievich Kokovtsov cited Herodotus, Strabo, Thucydides, Meletios' "Extensive Geography" abundantly. Diaries of Kokovtsov's trips to Tunisia and Algeria have been preserved. The traveler emphasized the kindness, diligence and hospitality of the locals. He died in 1793.

Figure 1.3. A. S. Norov

2.4 Yegor Petrovich Kovalevsky (1811 - 1868)

E. P. Kovalevsky (Fig. 1.4) - famous traveler, diplomat and writer of the mid-nineteenth century. In 1825 he entered the Faculty of Philosophy of Kharkov University. In 1828 he completed his studies and at the beginning of 1829 left for St. Petersburg. There, in a relatively short time, Yegor Petrovich received the specialty of a mining engineer.

In 1830 he moved to Barnaul. This event can be considered the beginning of his wanderings. It was in Altai that Kovalevsky got his first experience in prospecting for gold deposits; experience that later gave him the opportunity to receive numerous offers from the governments of many countries - to look for gold and other valuable minerals. From 1830 to 1837, Yegor Petrovich searched for gold in the Baraba steppes, in the mountains of the Kuznetsk Alatau, the Salair and Abakan ranges, in the area of ​​Lake Teletskoye. They discovered four gold placers.

Kovalevsky also owns an archaeological discovery: at the confluence of the Zeta and Morachi rivers, the researcher found the ruins of Dioklea, a fortified city from the time of the Roman Empire.

In 1847, he was sent by the Russian government to North Africa to develop gold placers discovered in Egypt.

Figure 1.4. E. P. Kovalevsky

In 1849 - 1851. EP Kovalevsky traveled to China as a diplomatic representative. With his assistance, an agreement was signed, according to which Dzungaria was opened for Russian trade. The signing of the treaty contributed greatly geographical study this part of China.

The name of Yegor Petrovich Kovalevsky is inextricably linked with geographical science. For eight years (1857 - 1865) he was an assistant to the chairman of the Russian Geographical Society, and since 1865 an honorary member. In 1858 he was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Russia, and in 1859 - its honorary member.

E. P. Kovalevsky is one of the Russian explorers and travelers who glorified their homeland by traveling through northeast Africa, the deserts Central Asia, research of the Northern Arctic Ocean and Antarctica, as well as in New Guinea and off the coast Northwest America.

The life path of Yegor Petrovich Kovalevsky ended in 1868.

Tsenkovsky Lev Semenovich (Fig. 1.5) - the famous Russian naturalist, was born in October 1822 in Warsaw. In 1839 he graduated from the Warsaw gymnasium.

In 1844 he graduated from the natural department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics with a degree of candidate of natural sciences and was left at St. Petersburg University. Lev Semenovich was engaged in botany.

In 1847, having received a business trip, Tsenkovsky went with Colonel Kovalevsky to Central Africa (to the northeastern Sudan, to the mouths of the White Nile) and stayed on the trip for 2 years.

Figure 1.5. L. S. Tsenkovsky

In 1850 he was appointed professor at the Department of Natural Sciences at the Yaroslavl Demidov Lyceum, where he remained until 1855, then worked at the Department of Botany at St. Petersburg University. A year later, he brilliantly defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Botany. .

In 1865, with the opening of the Novorossiysk University, Tsenkovsky was invited there as a professor of botany. On his initiative, the Sevastopol Biological Station was founded.

In 1869 he moved to Kharkov University. He was engaged in the study of lower organisms (ciliates, lower algae, fungi, bacteria, etc.). His doctoral dissertation "On lower algae and ciliates", devoted to the morphology and history of the development of various microscopic organisms, can be considered one of the first classical works in this field.

Tsenkovsky then devoted the last period of his activity to a completely new branch of knowledge - bacteriology. He is in high degree contributed to the development of practical bacteriology in Russia, in particular, he improved the methods of inoculation anthrax. The famous botanist Sachs called him the founder of scientific bacteriology.

2.6 Alexander Vasilyevich Eliseev (1858 - 1895)

Alexander Vasilievich Eliseev (Fig. 1.6) - Russian traveler and anthropologist. Born in 1858 in Finland. In 1876 he entered the natural department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University. However, later he moved to the Medico-Surgical Academy, from which he graduated in 1887. Even in his university years, Eliseev began to study anthropology. His medical specialty provided him good reception from the local population while traveling.

He served as a military doctor in Turkestan, the Baltic region and Finland. He made his first trips to the north of Russia, Finland and the Urals. He studied the north and north-west of European Russia, traveled through Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Known mainly as an explorer of Asia Minor and Africa. In 1881 he visited Egypt, Cairo and Jerusalem and traveled through Syria to Damascus. In 1884 he was in Palestine, and from there he traveled through Greece and Sicily to Tunisia, Algeria, and also to the Sahara.

Figure 1.6. A. V. Eliseev

On behalf of the Palestinian Society, in 1886, he visited Asia Minor, exploring the path from Russia to the Holy Land. In 1881 he traveled through Egypt and Arabia. By 1884 - 1887 include Eliseev's travels in Arabia, Algeria, Tunisia, Asia Minor, the results of which were published by him in geographical and anthropological essays and notes. He also traveled in Sudan (1893) and Abyssinia (1895). The works of A. V. Eliseev contain valuable geographical, anthropological and ethnographic observations. His life path ended in 1895.

1.2.7 Alexander Ksaverievich Bulatovich (1870 -1919)

Alexander Ksaverievich Bulatovich (Fig. 1. 7) was born in 1870 in the city of Orel. Studied at the Alexander Lyceum<#"343" src="doc_zip7.jpg" />

Figure 1.7. A. K. Bulatovich

It was he who was appointed as a courier who was supposed to deliver diplomatic documents to Emperor Menelik II. In April 1896, Alexander Ksaverievich set off on a camel journey, and in 3 days and 18 hours covered a distance of 350 miles, which is 6 to 18 hours faster than professional couriers. Not a single European before him achieved such brilliant results. The run also made a huge impression on the inhabitants of Ethiopia, and Bulatovich's personality quickly became legendary.

In 1903<#"326" src="doc_zip8.jpg" />

Figure 1.8. V. V. Junker

After graduating from high school<#"justify">Extensive internal spaces the African continent remained little known until the beginning of the 19th century. The most fantastic assumptions spread about the sources of the Nile and the Congo, about the course of the Niger and Zambezi. By the middle of the XIX century. At least a third of the territory of inner Africa remained unknown to Europeans. However, since that time the study of Africa, caused by the development of capitalism in Europe, began to develop rapidly. Most researchers, including geographers, began to pursue not so much scientific as colonial goals. Only a few travelers have explored Africa with a clean scientific purpose- first of all, they were Russians and individual representatives from among European travelers (D. Livingston, G. Stanley, etc.).

There are 4 stages in the history of African exploration:

)The initial stage of the study of Africa (II millennium BC - until the 11th century);

)Arab campaigns (VII - XIV centuries);

)travel XV - XVII centuries;

)Expedition XVII - XX centuries.

At present, one more stage can be distinguished - the modern one.

Russian research in Africa began with the third stage. Vasily Poznyakov is considered the first Russian to visit Africa and leave written evidence of this. In 1559 he visited Egypt. After him, many representatives of the Russian people at different times and with different purposes visited this mainland.

2.1 Research XV - XVII centuries.

During this phase, no significant research or discovery was made. However, it was of great importance for the Russian land, since it was at this time that the first acquaintance of Russians with Africa took place, the first information about this continent appeared, which aroused interest in it and became prerequisites for the subsequent study of this part of the world.

1.1 Athanasius Nikitin (died 1475)

Figure 2.1. The travel route of A. Nikitin, presented by him in the book "Journey beyond the Three Seas"

Afanasy Nikitin, returning from a trip to India, visited eastern part islands of Somalia (Figure 2.1). The traveler did not conduct research on the African continent and he did not make any geographical discoveries.

However, on the way home, he observed the life and customs of the local population. Subsequently, these observations became one of the first information on the African continent on Russian soil.

2 Studies of the XVIII - XX centuries.

This stage was the most significant in the history of Russian exploration of Africa. In the course of it, vast territories within the continent were explored, numerous discoveries were made. It was this stage that became the main one for the formation and development of scientific knowledge about Africa in Russia.

2.1 Vasily Grigorievich Grigorovich-Barsky (1701 - 1747)

Vasily Grigorovich-Barsky in 1727 - 1728 took a trip to Africa. Especially a lot of time he devoted to getting acquainted with Egypt. The main purpose of the trip was pilgrimage.

In his work, published 150 years after the trip, there is geographical information about the climate, soils, and vegetation of the territories he visited. The traveler paid considerable attention to the economic situation of countries, the development foreign trade, occupations of the population.

Thus, on the basis of information about the research carried out by Grigorovich-Barsky, it can be judged that he contributed to the dissemination of geographical knowledge about Africa and, in particular, about Egypt on Russian soil. The data provided by him became one of the first scientific information about this continent.

2.2.2 Matvei Grigorievich Kokovtsov (1745 - 1793)

In 1776 - 1777. M. G. Kokovtsov visited Tunisia and Algeria. The traveler carried out research concerning, mainly, the economic development and population of the territories he visited. They wrote notes about ethnic composition population, his economic activity, customs and social organization. Kokovtsov's notes also contain descriptions of the clothing of various groups of the population, information about handicraft production, and trade relations between North African countries. At the same time, M. G. Kokovtsov considered not only trade with Europe, but also trans-Saharan trade. This is the first evidence in Russian literary sources about trade relations states North Africa with Sudan.

Thus, the trip of Matvey Grigoryevich Kokovtsov to North Africa was of great importance for the subsequent economic and geographical study of this region.

2.3 Abraham Sergeevich Norov (1795 - 1869)

Abraham Sergeevich Norov is a major Russian traveler in the Nile basin, one of the most prominent figures in Russian science in the first half of the 19th century.

The name of A. S. Norov is known primarily due to his navigation on the Nile to the second rapids in 1834 - 1835 (Fig. 2.3). His work "Journey through Egypt and Nubia in 1834 - 1835", in addition to historical material - descriptions of the pyramids, the ruins of ancient temples and other monuments, -contains observations and remarks on the geography of the Nile basin. The traveler describes Alexandria, Cairo and other cities of Egypt. The population and its activities, the economic life of the most important cities are described in most detail. Having studied the movement of the merchant fleet in the harbor of Alexandria from 1822 to 1837, Norov concluded that Egypt's external relations were diverse before colonization by the British.

A. S. Norov was one of the first to make an economic and geographical description of Egypt. He used the concept of "statistical review of Egypt". In it, he included the country's topography, climate, population, various sectors of the economy, etc. A detailed description of cultivated plants cultivated in Egypt (maize, rice, cotton, and others) is supplemented by a list of minerals, the use of which the author associates with industries. Of the industrial enterprises that existed at that time in Egypt, the researcher considered the paper-spinning mills to be the most important. He listed in detail the places where the factory and craft establishments were located.

During his journey, he made long stops in Cairo and shorter ones in Luxor (Thebes), Aswan, Wadi Halfa, and others, so the physical and geographical descriptions were limited to the Nile Valley. As a result of sailing from the Delta to the second rapids, rich material was accumulated on the physical and geographical features of this part of the Nile Valley.

Highlighting the differences in climate between the Delta and Upper Egypt, the researcher notes that "the heat in Egypt is only unbearable when the south wind, called khamsin, blows." The traveler was interested in the nature of the valley and the course of the Nile. Norov wrote about the reasons for the flood of the Nile: “... spring heavy rains that flood the far reaches of Abyssinia flow in numerous streams into the bed of the Nile and generate an accumulation of waters that tends through the far space along Africa, -to the Mediterranean."

Thus, Norov is one of the first Russian travelers who conducted both physical and geographical research in Africa and the study of the economic life of the territories he visited. His economic and geographical description of Egypt was of great importance for that time.

2.2.4 Yegor Petrovich Kovalevsky (1811 - 1868)

In 1847, E.P. Kovalevsky was seconded by the Russian government to Egypt at the request of the Egyptian side to send an experienced mining engineer to continue the search for gold.

The route of the Kovalevsky expedition went along the Nile, the Blue Nile and the Tumat River flowing into the Blue Nile (Fig. 2.3). From the city of Berbera to Khartoum, the expedition moved along the river, then along the Blue Nile to the village of Rosseros (Roseires). From here began a hiking route along the Tumat River. Traveling along the upper reaches of this river and to the west of them ended the expedition of the Russian traveler. On the way back, the route was almost completely repeated, with the exception of the section passing through the Great Nubian Desert (Fig. 2. .).

In the Tumat River basin, E. P. Kovalevsky discovered numerous deposits of alluvial gold. The researcher did not limit himself to the gold exploration task given to him. He sought to find out the position of the sources of the Nile. According to the opinion prevailing at that time, the Nile had to originate at the foot of the mountains located south of the river Tumat. But Kovalevsky, exploring this area, did not find the sources of the Nile. Moreover, he concluded that “this is physically impossible: from the northern slope of these mountains, rivers flow straight to the north, such as, for example, Yabus and even Tumat itself, which would certainly meet on the way with the White Nile, if he was here, and would merge with it, but meanwhile they safely reach their goal after a long journey to the north, i.e. flow into the Blue Nile ... ". Based on his personal observations, Kovalevsky concluded that main river is not the Blue Nile, but the White Nile.

On the territory of Eastern Sudan, as in many other places along the route, E. P. Kovalevsky determined the latitude and made barometric measurements of heights. The figures cited by him were at many points much more accurate than those cited by more early explorers. Based on his measurements, Kovalevsky compiled a map of the territory he studied (appendix). Analyzing this map, we can conclude that the researcher displayed river valleys, as well as many orographic objects, in great detail, especially on the territory of modern Sudan and Ethiopia. The map also shows the main tribes inhabiting the area (eg Tuklavi, Futi). The type of activity of the population is also noted to some extent (for example, Negroes processing iron ore). Settlements in the Nile Valley are shown in great detail.

Kovalevsky also carried out botanical observations. They were few, however. highest value has the fact that Egor Petrovich made a detailed description of the duleb palm, and also noted that thickets of tamarisks and acacias are typical for the Blue Nile Valley.

His ethnographic observations were of great value. The researcher opposed racism, as well as the enslavement of the indigenous population of Africa, considering blacks to be no less worthy people than representatives of other races.

The result of the Kovalevsky expedition was that it largely clarified the geography of the Nile Valley. Of great importance were his geological observations, which are the first attempt to give a summary of the geological structure of the Nile Valley. Having studied the geological structure of the river valley and its tributaries, Kovalevsky proved the gold content of the rocks in this area and organized gold mining at several industrial factories. Having set up the construction of a factory, the traveler went along a dry channel to the sources of Tumat in search of gold and the sources of the Nile. He found three gold-bearing placers, but plans to search for the sources of the Nile had to be abandoned, as the traveler was overcome by an acute fever. Having recovered, Kovalevsky went on his way back and in 1848 arrived in Alexandria.

Yegor Petrovich's expedition was short-lived (end of 1847 - first half of 1848), but its geographical results were significant. The materials collected during this expedition were presented by the researcher in the work Travels into Inner Africa (1849). This work contains geographical, ethnographic, historical and other information.

2.5 Lev Semenovich Tsenkovsky (1822 - 1887)

He began his journey to Africa together with E. P. Kovalevsky. But at the beginning of 1848, having separated from Kovalevsky's expedition, Tsenkovsky settled in the village of Rosseros on the Blue Nile. From here he undertook ethnographic and botanical excursions along the Tumat River.

Just like E.P. Kovalevsky, Tsenkovsky made observations on the geological structure of the Nile basin, showing its connection with the relief. He supplemented Kovalevsky's observations regarding the distribution of sandstone (Nubian sandstone).

The researcher also made meteorological observations. He noted that the main difference between the climate of the Delta and the climate of eastern Sudan is temperature fluctuations during the day. In Eastern Sudan “the extreme temperatures of the day already vary more than in the Delta and instead of the South European winter in the Delta there is a constant summer here; rain belongs to extreme rarities. According to Tsenkovsky, periodic rains in the Nile basin rarely occur north of 18 ° N. sh. Accordingly, he defined northern border fauna and flora - it is the mouth of the river. Atbars. The researcher found that in Kassan, periodic rains come from April to September, in Rosseros they begin a month later, and in Khartoum - two. With this gradual climate change from south to north, L. S. Tsenkovsky connects the change in vegetation cover. He notes that with periodic rains, the date palm disappears, instead of it the baobab appears, and further south, in Nubia, thick rainforests. These facts, established by Tsenkovsky, were prerequisites for the allocation of natural zones on the territory of Africa, but Tsenkovsky did not do it.

The physical-geographical studies of L. S. Tsenkovskii were of great scientific value for a long time. The traveler carefully studied the nature of Eastern Sudan. He collected rich collections, but they were lost on the way to Russia. But the Zoological Museum of Moscow University has several stuffed animals made by Lev Semenovich during this trip. A report on his journey has been preserved, published in the Geographic News of the Russian Imperial Geographical Society for 1850.

2.6 Alexander Vasilyevich Eliseev (1858 - 1895)

The merits of Alexander Vasilievich Eliseev in science are of great importance. In 1881, Eliseev made his first trip along the Nile River valley. He made a description of the cities of Egypt - Alexandria and Cairo, made detailed studies of lagoon lakes located in the Nile Delta, collected great material on bird fauna.

In 1882, Alexander Vasilievich visited the Nile valley for the second time. Being an anthropologist, he studied the life of the population on the banks of the river, living conditions, and its activities. The wildlife of the territory was of great scientific interest to him.

In 1883, the traveler crossed the deserts stretching between the Nile and the Red Sea (Fig. 2.2). He noted the wretchedness of the flora and fauna of the desert. He carried out geological and geomorphological studies in the deserts. Eliseev established that all mountain ranges are composed of crystalline rocks - gneisses, granites, shales, and the so-called "sand seas" between the Nile and the Red Sea do not exist. Eliseev also noted that the flatness of the territory is disturbed by dry hollows of wadis that do not reach the Red Sea.

In September 1893, A. V. Eliseev made another trip to Africa in order to study Mahdism.

Figure 2.2. Sketch of the desert, made by A. V. Eliseev

Eliseev planned to make his way to Sudan through the Libyan desert, Darfur, Kordofan. But this trip ended unsuccessfully: the caravan was robbed and the traveler was forced to return back. On his way, the explorer crossed several oases, confined to a long depression, stretching parallel to the Nile valley. Eliseev suggested that these lowlands served as a bed of ancient streams that once irrigated the Libyan desert, and concluded that "... underground water vein runs along this entire stretch, forming an underground river of enormous length, running almost parallel to the course of the Nile. This assumption of Eliseev is correct, since, according to the information available on this moment views, deserts are characterized by an exit ground water in place of the former streams. The presence of such a depression is also explained tectonic structure foundation of North Africa - the presence of a number of syneclises with a meridional strike. However, at that time, due to the insufficient development of science and technology, such a conclusion was not made by the researcher.

However, the longest and most important journey of A. V. Eliseev to Africa began in 1884 from Tripoli. The main purpose of this trip was the anthropological study of the Tuareg. However, the results of this journey were more extensive. Eliseev made an attempt to penetrate deep into the Sahara. Based on the materials he collected, a description of the nature of this desert was compiled. He noted that the emblem of the oases of the Sahara is the date palm, up to 100 species of birds live in the oases. Eliseev explains the presence of fish in the streams of the oases as a remnant of the rich river fauna that was characteristic of the Sahara during the humid climate. A. V. Eliseev identified three types of relief in the Sahara:

-elevated plateaus - hamads occupying most Northern Sahara;

-dune formations;

-depressions, hollows and wadis of the Ice Age.

Eliseev studied dune formations in particular detail. Having studied a small group of dunes, Eliseev found that their formation is influenced by various factors: relief, prevailing winds, the angle of sand shedding, the growth rate of vegetation covering the sands, and others. Such a statement contradicted the prevailing ideas of the time about the dunes as rocks that had disintegrated into its constituent parts, changing only physical composition and form, but retained their position.

During the second trip, he carried out geodetic measurements and the then available maps of the areas explored by the expedition were significantly changed. Rich zoological collections were also collected, ethnographic and anthropological observations were made.

Having studied a vast part of the territory of Africa, the traveler returned to Algeria, and from there through Europe he returned to Russia. Thus ended one of the most important travels A. V. Eliseeva in Africa. The material collected by the researcher also made it possible to draw a number of conclusions about the change in the morphology of the Nile valley.

Last Journey A. V. Eliseev made a trip to Ethiopia in 1895. But he did not have time to compile a detailed report on this trip: on May 22, 1895, Alexander Vasilyevich died.

A. V. Eliseev is widely known as a traveler and anthropologist. His merits were highly appreciated by the Russian Geographical Society, which honored him silver medal for reporting on a journey through Arabia and the Sahara, and by the Society of Natural Science, Anthropology and Ethnography, which awarded him the Society's Great Gold Medal.

2.7 Alexander Ksaverievich Bulatovich (1870 -1919)

The first acquaintance of Alexander Ksaverievich Bulatovich with Africa occurred in 1896, when he joined the detachment Russian Society Red Cross, who went to Ethiopia to help the wounded in the Italo-Ethiopian war and medical care population.

Bulatovich's first trip across Ethiopia was carried out in order to clarify the hydrographic network of tributaries of the Sobat and rivers that are not part of the Nile basin. He carried out astronomical determinations of coordinates, altitude measurements, climatic and botanical observations.

From September 1897 to July 1898, A.K. Bulatovich makes routes in the Kaffa region and adjacent territories in the west and south of Ethiopia (Fig. 2.3). It was this second journey that produced particularly valuable results. During it, Bulatovich accurately established, mapped and gave a detailed description of the sources and course of the Omo River, tracing it to its confluence with Lake Rudolf. He identified the sources of the eastern tributaries of the Sobat, put them on the map. A. K. Bulatovich discovered a mountain range stretching for hundreds of kilometers from north to south west of Omo, recorded a number of mountain peaks and intermountain valleys. He also discovered and astronomically determined a rocky cape, which is limited from the south by Labur Bay. Although Labur Bay itself was discovered a little earlier, however, its position on the map was determined by Bulatovich. A.K. Bulatovich refined the complex orographic scheme of watersheds between the basins of the tributaries of the Blue Nile, Sobat, and also the Avash and Omo. The researcher determined the coordinates of more than 80 points of this territory. He explored and mapped north coast Lake Rudolf, having specified the data of earlier studies.

A. K. Bulatovich paid less attention to climatic studies than to hydrographic and orographic studies. He noted very important climatic features of this part of Ethiopia. Southwestern Ethiopia is characterized by him as a transitional region from a typically equatorial climate to a tropical one. He made such a conclusion based on the amount and distribution of precipitation throughout the year, as well as the duration of the wet and dry periods of the year. The researcher identified three climatic regions:

-the area west of the Diddesa River and the right bank of the Gaba River with two rainy periods (July - September and May);

-the region of the valleys of the rivers Diddesa and Abbay (Blue Nile) with one rainy period;

- southern region(south of the Gaba River) with two rainy periods (July - September and January - March).

Bulatovich's great merit is that he traced the vertical zonality of the climate and the change climatic zones depending on the elevation. He connects this change with the change of vegetation cover. They identified three vertical belts in the southwest and west of the Abyssinian highlands: degas, war-degas and kola.

In 1899, A.K. Bulatovich made his third trip to the western regions of Ethiopia. The results of this trip were route photography and ethnographic observations. But the main purpose of this trip was astronomical determination of the points between Addis Ababa and Fazoglo (Eastern Sudan).

Thus, during the period from 1896 to 1899, A.K. Bulatovich crossed western and southwestern Ethiopia in various directions and contributed to the solution of a number of important geographical problems in this part of Africa.

Bulatovich's geographical research was highly appreciated by the Russian Geographical Society, which awarded him a silver medal named after P.P. Semenov - Tyan-Shansky.

2.8 Vasily Vasilyevich Junker (1840 - 1892)

One of the largest representatives in the history of African exploration is Vasily Vasilyevich Junker. In terms of his contribution to the study of the African continent, his name is on a par with such world-class researchers as D. Livingston, G. Stanley, G. Nachtigal and others.

In 1869<#"justify">Juncker's first expedition to Northeast and Central Africa continued from 1875 to 1878. In October 1875, Juncker landed in Alexandria and, after a short trip to the Libyan desert, went to the Sudan (Fig. 2.3). Already during the first stage of the journey, he accurately mapped the lower reaches of the drying up river Baraka. Later, Vasily Vasilyevich Juncker chose East and Equatorial Africa for his travels. In 1876, the explorer also made a trip by steamboat from Khartoum up the White Nile and its tributary, the Sobat. During this voyage, the Russian traveler for the first time made an accurate survey of the lower reaches of the Sobat. In January 1877 he headed west - to the Makaraka region. This area occupies a position between the basins of the Yei and Rol (Nam-Rol) rivers belonging to the Nile system, on the one hand, and the basin of the Uele River (in the upper reaches known as Kibali) on the other. The confluence of the Uele River at that time was not yet known. An important merit of V.V. Juncker is that he, having studied given area, defined exact position this part of the watershed. On earlier maps of other researchers, this area was displayed much to the south.

The last important stage of Juncker's journey is associated with his participation in yet another Egyptian military expedition- south of Makarak, in the region of Kalika. In this campaign (in November 1877 - January 1878) he climbed up the Yei river valley almost to its source, crossed the watershed and penetrated to the sources of the Uele (Kibali) river. They confirmed the assumption that Uele originates in the mountains west of Lake Albert. Juncker also owns the solution of another important issue. Some researchers of that time admitted the possibility of a bifurcation of the Albert Nile flowing from Lake Albert: they considered Bahr el-Jebel and the White Nile to be one branch, the second to Uele. Juncker refuted these views, noting that "the very topography of the area makes it almost inconceivable that the waters of Bahr el-Jebel flow to the west or north-west."

In 1878 he returned to Europe. The result of the first expedition was that during it the area of ​​the Nile-Congo watershed was explored and the sources of the Uele River were discovered. During the trip, Juncker collected many rare specimens of representatives of the fauna and flora of Africa. The rich collections brought by Vasily Junker from this trip are one of the best decorations of the ethnographic museum of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. Some of the collections were donated by him to the Ethnographic Museum in Berlin.

The second Central African expedition was made by V. V. Juncker in 1879 - 1886. (See Figure 2.3). The researcher set himself specific goals: firstly, to explore the countries irrigated by the river Uele; secondly, to determine whether this river belongs to the Congo system or to the Shari River and Lake Chad. For many years, Vasily Vasilyevich traveled through the lands of the cannibals of the Nyam-Nyam and Mangbattu peoples. Having passed along the river Uele to the very western point of their travels, at approximately 23° east longitude and 4° northern latitude. This river was thus found to belong to the vast system of the Congo.

Between 1882 and 1886 Juncker made several transitions to the east - to Lado, and then to the south. During them, the traveler got acquainted with the Mbomu river basin, crossed the Nile-Congo watershed, and then visited the Makaraka region. In 1887, VV Juncker returned to Europe.

Scientific results Juncker's travels were published in the appendices to the "Messages of Petermann" for 1889. The main achievement was a four-leaf map compiled by a German cartographer based on Juncker's materials. The extremely high accuracy of Juncker's surveys, given that he did not have instruments for astronomical observations, was subsequently confirmed by other researchers. The text part of the work, to which this map is attached, includes a detailed description of the hydrography, orography and ethnography of the area explored by Juncker; data of meteorological observations, barometric measurements of heights and other materials are also given.

In 1889-1891, Juncker's three-volume work Travels in Africa was published in Vienna. - Full description many years of research activity. Much attention is paid to the characteristics of the indigenous population, its life, way of life, material and spiritual culture.

In 1891, Juncker began preparing a Russian edition of Travels in Africa. He was not destined to realize this plan: in February 1892 he died.

Figure 2.3. The main travel routes [comp. author on 4, 6]

RUSSIAN DISCOVERIES AND GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES IN AFRICA

1 Discoveries of the 15th - early 20th centuries.

Russian travelers, visiting Africa, explored the territory of this continent, paying attention mainly to orography and hydrography. On their routes, they crossed both previously explored objects, in respect of which they supplemented and refined the available information, and objects not known to researchers of that time. They studied and compiled a description of these objects, giving them a name and thereby enriching the map of Africa. Such discoveries of Russian travelers were not numerous, but they had importance in the discovery and exploration of the African continent.

One of the first Russians to visit Africa was Athanasius Nikitin in 1472. Returning from a trip to India, he reached the shores of Somalia. Research by A. Nikitin was not carried out on this territory and there is no information about any discoveries made by him. The value of this visit lies in the fact that it was one of the first contacts of the representatives of the Russian people with Africa, which in one way or another contributed to the spread of knowledge about Africa on Russian soil.

E.P. Kovalevsky, who explored the Tumat river basin to its very source, was the first European to penetrate the area. He also explored for the first time the interfluve of the upper reaches of the Tumata and Yabusa rivers, which is a flat upland. “I called this country Nikolaevskaya; it is cut by a river, at this time of the year, of course, dried up, has already lost its name, and therefore I called it Nevka on my map.

Kovalevsky researched western part Abyssinian Highlands, he mapped a vast territory in the form of a triangle, enclosed between the lower reaches of the White and Blue Nile rivers. He called this part of the mainland Eastern Sudan. The traveler also compiled an orographic description of the Shinar Peninsula. Kovalevsky called the low mountains between Tumat and the Blue Nile the Tumat Ridge.

Exploring the valley of the Nile, he called the entire system of sediments characteristic of the basin of this river, the Nile system. On the way back to Alexandria, in the Lesser Nubian Desert, Kovalevsky discovered the Abudom River, the left tributary of the Nile. This discovery refuted the opinions of the famous German geographers Humboldt and Ritter, who claimed that the Nile has only one tributary - Atbara river

A. K. Bulatovich also made important discoveries in Africa. His merit is that he mapped and gave a detailed description of the sources and course of the Omo River, tracing it to its confluence with Lake Rudolf. He identified the sources of the eastern tributaries of the Sobat, put them on the map. A.K. Bulatovich discovered a mountain range extending to the west of Omo, recorded a number of mountain peaks and intermountain valleys. He also discovered and astronomically determined a rocky cape, which is limited from the south by Labur Bay.

V.V. Junker also owns several important discoveries in Africa. One of the greatest geographical achievements of Juncker was that he fixed the position of the Nile-Congo watershed for almost its entire length (about 1200 kilometers). Given that this hydrographic boundary was previously mapped in a small area, then we can say that the Nile watershed -The Congo was discovered by Juncker.

Another fundamentally important enrichment of the map of Africa, associated with the name of Juncker, was the establishment of a drawing of the hydrographic system of Uele -Mbomu, previously known to Europeans only at a few points. V. V. Junker discovered and explored the sources of the Uele River. He determined the ratios of all large and most of the small rivers of this system, and traced many of them directly. He did not succeed in finally finding out where Uele flows, but his research brought this problem closer to resolution in the future.

2 Soviet and contemporary studies of Russians in Africa

different areas Africa was visited by Soviet scientists - participants in international geological and botanical congresses. They shared their observations in articles as well as travel books. The most famous of them are the geographer I. P. Gerasimov, the geologists N. M. Fedorovsky, G. V. Bogomolov, the botanists P. A. Baranov, A. L. Kursanov, and others). IP Gerasimov made studies of the red-colored weathering mountains of Guinea. Expedition of Soviet geologists and geographers (headed by A.P. Kapitsa, scientific director V. V. Belousov) studied the system of the East African faults, the geological structure, relief and other features of the nature of the areas adjacent to it.

Currently, research in Africa is being carried out by the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 2008, a group of Russian social anthropologists worked in the Republic of Benin. The expedition included: D.M. Bondarenko (head), A.A. Banshchikova, E.B. Demintseva, T.V. Evgenieva, O.I. Kavykin, A.D. Savateev. Field work in Benin was a continuation of scientific projects and Russia and Islam: Civilizational Dialogue , the development of which was initiated by similar expeditions in 2006 in Federal Republic Nigeria and 2007 to the United Republic of Tanzania, and the 2003 and 2005 expeditions to Tanzania. During the last two expeditions, Islamic-Christian relations, interracial and interethnic relations in modern Tanzania were studied. These projects are developed with the aim of "studying the prerequisites for the formation of the image of modern Russia in Africa in connection with the history of Soviet-African and Russian-African relations and their current state, identifying the characteristic features of this image, the prospects and conditions for its positive transformation, including in the context of Islamic -Christian relations in modern world» .

Russia is developing economic cooperation with various countries Africa, such as Angola, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya. The basis is trade -economic ties. Projects for joint gas production on the Nigerian shelf are being considered. An agreement was also signed on the joint development of oil and gas in Egypt. Russia intends to further develop ties with Benin. Construction of schools, hospitals and other facilities is planned social purpose, appearance in Benin Russian business and the establishment of other economic ties between countries in various areas (agriculture, construction, etc.).

Thus, Russia is currently showing a significant interest in Africa, cooperating with many countries of this continent. Research is carried out mainly for economic purposes.

CONCLUSION

In this term paper the goal was achieved - the contribution of Russian travelers to the study of the African continent was studied. Each of them, to varying degrees, contributed to the dissemination of information about Africa in Russian lands. Russian researchers studied a vast territory within the eastern and central parts of Africa.

In the course work, the tasks were completed - a brief biographical description of each researcher was given; their achievements in the study of the African continent are considered; presents the main travel routes of researchers, reflected on the map "Main travel routes"; the discoveries made by them and the geographical names put on the map are marked; the directions of modern research of Russian scientists in Africa are determined, as well as the main vectors of interactions between the Russian state and the states of Africa are briefly shown.

During the period from the 15th to the 20th century, representatives of the Russian people explored vast areas of Africa. A. Nikitin, V. Ya. Gagara did not visit Africa scientific value, during them no discoveries were made, but their value is that they contributed to the spread of knowledge about this continent to Russian lands. Later travelers explored both the natural conditions and the economic life of the areas they visited.

VG Grigorovich-Barsky studied the climate, soils, and vegetation of Egypt. The traveler paid considerable attention to the economic situation neighboring countries, the development of foreign trade, occupations of the population.

M. G. Kokovtsov conducted research on the economic development of the cities of Tunisia and Algeria, and also studied the population of the territories he visited. He wrote notes on the ethnic composition of the population, its economic activities, customs and social organization.

A. S. Norov was one of the first to make an economic and geographical description of Egypt. He is also one of the first Russian travelers who conducted both physical and geographical research in Africa and the study of the economic life of the territories he visited. His economic and geographical description of Egypt was of great importance for that time.

E. P. Kovalevsky made a significant contribution to the search for the sources of the Nile; explored the Nile Valley, as a result of which he studied the entire system of sediments characteristic of this river; studied the western part of the Abyssinian Highlands, he mapped a vast territory in the form of a triangle, enclosed between the lower reaches of the White and Blue Nile rivers.

L. S. Tsenkovsky made observations on the geological structure of the Nile basin, showing its connection with the relief, carefully studied the nature of Eastern Sudan, collected rich collections, but they were lost on the way to Russia.

A. V. Eliseev compiled a description of the cities of Egypt - Alexandria and Cairo; studied the population on the banks of the Nile, living conditions, its activities; carried out geodetic measurements, as a result of which many maps that existed at that time were clarified.

A.K. Bulatovich determined the sources of the eastern tributaries of the Sobat, plotted them on a map, traced the vertical zonality of the climate and the change in climatic zones depending on the height of the relief, depending on the change in vegetation cover, conducted a route survey of the western part of Ethiopia.

VV Junker fixed the position of the Nile-Congo watershed almost along its entire length; completed an accurate survey of the lower reaches of the Sobat River; determined the exact position of the sources of the river Uele; he did not succeed in finally finding out where the Uele flows, but his research brought this problem closer to being resolved in the future.

Their research in Africa helped final decision a number of hydrographic, orographic, climatic and ethnographic issues. The merit of Russian travelers is enough detailed study small areas of Africa.

Russian researchers made significant discoveries in Africa - the sources of the Nile and Uele rivers were discovered, their tributaries were studied, the position of the Nile-Congo river watershed was established. They made detailed maps of the study areas.

Currently, Russian scientists are also conducting research in Africa. They are conducted by the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The main objects of study are rift zone, as well as gas-bearing and oil-bearing basins, in relation to some of them contracts for joint development have been drawn up. Anthropological research is also carried out. Russian scientists are implementing the main projects: The image of modern Russia in African countries: formation and features and Russia and Islam: Civilizational Dialogue.

Thus, Russia is currently showing a significant interest in Africa, cooperating with many countries of this continent.

Russian traveler Africa

LIST OF USED SOURCES

.Africa through the eyes of our compatriots. M., 1974.

2.Volskaya B. A. Travels of E. P. Kovalevsky. M., 1956.

.Vostok 2008 No. 5 "Expeditions of the African Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences", 2007 No. 3 "Oriental and African Studies".

.Gornung M. B., Lipets Yu. G., Oleinikov N. N. History of discovery and exploration of Africa. M., 1973.

.Efimov A. V. From the history of great Russian geographical discoveries. M., 1971.

.Zabrodskaya M.P. Russian travels in Africa. M., 1955.

.Lange P. V. Continent of short shadows. History of geographical discoveries in Africa. M., 1990.

.Lebedev D. M., Esakov V. A. Russian geographical discoveries and research from ancient times to 1917. M., 1971.

.Magidovich IP, Magidovich VI Essays on the history of geographical discoveries. T. 3. M., 1984.

.Echo of the Planet 2007 No. 13 "Russia Returns to Africa"

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In this article, we recall the contribution that African researchers made to the development of geography. And their discoveries completely changed the idea of ​​the Black Continent.

First explorations of Africa

The first known journey around was made as early as 600 BC. e. researchers ancient egypt by order of Pharaoh Necho. The pioneers of Africa circled the continent and discovered hitherto unknown lands.

And in the Middle Ages, this part of the world began to arouse serious interest in Europe, which was actively trading with the Turks, who resold Chinese and Indian goods at a huge price. This prompted European sailors to try to find their own way to India and China in order to exclude the mediation of the Turks.

African explorers appeared, and their discoveries significantly influenced world history. The first expedition was organized by the Portuguese Prince Henry. During the first voyages, sailors discovered Cape Boyador, which is located on the west coast of Africa. The researchers decided that this is the southern point of the mainland. Modern scientists believe that the Portuguese were simply afraid of the dark-skinned natives. The Europeans believed that the sun hung so low on the new earth that the locals burned themselves black.

The Portuguese king Juan II equipped new expedition, which was headed by Bartolomeo Diaz, and in 1487 Cape Good Hope- the real southern point of the mainland. This discovery helped the Europeans pave the way to the eastern countries. In 1497-1499 Vasco da Gama was the first to reach India and return to Portugal.

The table "Explorers of Africa", located below, will help to systematize the knowledge gained.

After this discovery, Europeans poured into Africa. In the 16th century, the slave trade began, and by the 17th, most of the territories of the black continent were captured and colonized. Only Liberia and Ethiopia retained their freedom. In the 19th century began active research Africa.

David Livingston

The scientist also explored Lake Ngami, described the tribes of the Bushmen, Bakalahari and Makololo, and also discovered Lake Dilolo, the western drain of which feeds the Congo, and the eastern one feeds the Zambezi. In 1855, a huge waterfall was discovered, which is named after the British Queen Victoria. Livingston became very ill and disappeared for a while. He was discovered by the traveler Henry Morton Stanley, and together they explored Lake Tanganyika.

The explorer devoted most of his life to Africa, was a missionary and humanist, tried to stop the slave trade. The scientist died during one of the expeditions.

Mungo Park

Mungo Park undertook two expeditions to the Black Continent. Its purpose was to study West Africa, mainly its interior, origins and Sinegal. It was also a desirable goal to establish exact location the city of Timbuktu, about which Europeans had only heard from local residents until that moment.

The expedition was sponsored by Joseph Banks, who participated in the first journey of James Cook. The budget was quite modest - only 200 pounds.

The first expedition was undertaken in 1795. It began at the mouth of the Gambia, where there were already English settlements at that time. From one of them, the researcher with three assistants went up the Gambia. In Pisania, he was forced to stop for 2 months, as he fell ill with malaria.

Later, he traveled further up the Gambia and along its tributary Neriko, along the southern border of the Sahara, where he was captured. A few months later, the scientist managed to escape and reach the Niger River. Here he made a discovery - the Niger is not the source of the Gambia and Senegal, although before that the Europeans believed that it was divided. For some time, the researcher travels around the Niger, but falls ill again and returns to the mouth of the Gambia.

The second expedition was better equipped, 40 people took part in it. The goal was to explore the Niger River. However, the trip was unsuccessful. Due to illness and clashes with local residents, only 11 people were able to get to Bamako alive. The park continued the expedition, but before sailing, he sent all his notes with an assistant. It is not always possible for African explorers to return home from dangerous places. The park died near the city of Busa, fleeing from local residents.

Henry Morton Stanley

English explorer of Africa Henry Morton Stanley - famous traveler and journalist. He went in search of the missing Livingston, accompanied by a detachment of natives, and found him seriously ill in Ujiji. Stanley brought medicines with him, and Livingston was soon on the mend. Together they explored the northern coast of Tanganyika. In 1872 he returned to Zanzibar and wrote famous book"How I Found Livingston". In 1875, accompanied by large group the scientist reached Lake Ukereve.

In 1876, with a detachment of 2,000 people, who were equipped by the king of Uganda, Henry Morton Stanley made a great journey, corrected the map of Lake Tanganyika, discovered Lake Albert Edward, reached Nyangwe, explored the Lualaba River and completed the expedition at the mouth. Thus, he crossed the mainland from east to west. The scientist described the journey in the book "Through the Black Continent".

Vasily Junker

Russian explorers of Africa made a great contribution to the study of the Black Continent. Vasily Junker is considered one of the largest explorers of the Upper Nile and the northern part of the Congo basin. He began his journey in Tunisia, where he studied Arabic. The scientist chose equatorial and eastern Africa as the object of research. Traveled along the rivers Baraka, Sobat, Rol, Jut, Tonji. Visited the countries of Mitta, Kalika.

Juncker not only collected the rarest collection of representatives of flora and fauna. His cartographic studies were accurate, he made the first map of the upper Nile, the scientist also described the flora and fauna, especially the great apes, discovered an unknown animal - the six-winged. Valuable and ethnographic data that were collected by Juncker. He compiled dictionaries of the Negro tribes and collected a rich ethnographic collection.

Egor Kovalevsky

African explorers arrived on the continent at the invitation of local authorities. Egor Petrovich Kovalevsky was asked to come to Egypt by the local viceroy. The scientist conducted various geological research discovered alluvial deposits of gold. He was one of the first to indicate the position of the source of the White Nile, explored in detail and mapped a large territory of Sudan and Abyssinia, described the life of the peoples of Africa.

Alexander Eliseev

Alexander Vasilyevich Eliseev spent several years on the continent, from 1881 to 1893. He explored northern and northeastern Africa. He described in detail the population and nature of Tunisia, the Red Sea coast and the lower reaches of the Nile.

Nikolai Vavilov

Soviet explorers of Africa often visited the Black Continent, but Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov stands out most of all. In 1926 he made the most important expedition for science. He explored Algeria, the Biskra oasis in the Sahara desert, the mountainous region of Kabylie, Morocco, Tunisia, Somalia, Egypt, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Botany was primarily interested in the centers of origin of cultivated plants. He devoted a lot of time to Ethiopia, where he collected more than six thousand samples of cultivated plants and found about 250 types of wheat. In addition, a lot of information was obtained about wild-growing representatives of the flora.

Nikolay Vavilov traveled all over the world, researching and collecting plants. He wrote the book Five Continents about his travels.

Eliseev Alexander Vasilievich
(01.08.1858–22.05.1895)

Russian travel doctor
Born in Finland, in the fortress of Sveaborg, where his father served. In early childhood, the child's nanny was a retired Sevastopol soldier, who laid the foundations of Spartan education in him. The regiment where his father served was constantly moving around Finland, and the harsh camp life further tempered the boy, who was strong and agile by nature. At the age of 10 he was sent to a gymnasium in Kronstadt. Teaching was easy, especially geography and history.
After graduating from the gymnasium in 1876, Eliseev, who was already a tutor for an adult student, made a trip to the countries of Central Europe and Northern Italy as an interpreter and mentor. In the same year, he entered the natural history department of St. Petersburg University, but then, for financial reasons, he moved to military medical academy. Despite the lack of funds, malnutrition, the inability to purchase warm clothes, Eliseev, giving private lessons, set aside money for travel.
In 1879, he traveled to the Urals for anthropological research, which became his favorite pastime, in 1880 he visited the Ilmensky district of the Novgorod province for the same purpose.
A year before graduating from the academy, Eliseev, having only 400 rubles, left for Egypt, visited the ruins of ancient Thebes, from Cairo he went to the mountains of the Sinai Peninsula, reached Jerusalem and returned to his homeland through Syria. Based on his field diaries, he published the book "The Road to Sinai".
Immediately after graduating from the academy, a trip to Northern Europe followed. Eliseev visited Sweden, Norway, the Kola Peninsula, went from Kola to Kandalaksha.
Eliseev's military medical service began in the Caucasus, followed by Turkestan, Finland, Estonia, and St. Petersburg.
In 1884, the young scientist left for Palestine to find out the living conditions of Russian pilgrims. During this trip, he crossed Greece, Italy, Sicily, moved to Tunisia and Algeria, spent more than two months in the Sahara and returned to Russia through Morocco, Spain and Western Europe.
In 1886, on behalf of the IRGO, Eliseev visited Asia Minor, exploring the path from Russia to the Holy Land, in 1889 - Far East, studying Russian colonization in the Ussuri region, and returned to his homeland through Japan and Ceylon. In 1890, he assisted in the fight against the cholera epidemic in Persia. In 1893, in Sudan, then occupied by the Mahdists, Eliseev's caravan was robbed, and he himself barely escaped death.
Eliseev's last expedition was a trip to Ethiopia. In May 1895, already ill, he made a report on this trip at a meeting of the IRGO.
Eliseev died in the prime of life from severe pneumonia. He studied the countries he visited mainly in anthropological, ethnographic and medical terms, describing his travels, mainly in scientific and other periodicals. Separately, a three-volume book "Across the wide world" was published.
Eliseev died when the works of his tireless work were just beginning to be recognized by the scientific community.
He was buried in St. Petersburg at the Smolensk Orthodox Cemetery. The grave has been lost.