Russian pioneers. Vasily Ermolaevich Bugor was an Arctic navigator and one of the pioneers of Siberia. Seas discovered by Russian travelers.

Without Russian discoverers, the world map would be completely different. Our compatriots - travelers and sailors - made discoveries that enriched world science.

Bellingshausen's first Antarctic expedition

In 1819, the navigator, captain of the 2nd rank, Thaddeus Bellingshausen led the first round-the-world Antarctic expedition. The purpose of the voyage was to explore the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, as well as to prove or disprove the existence of a sixth continent - Antarctica. Having equipped two sloops - "Mirny" and "Vostok" (under the command of Mikhail Lazarev), Bellingshausen's detachment went to sea.

The expedition lasted 751 days and wrote many bright pages in the history of geographical discoveries. The main one - the discovery of Antarctica - was made on January 28, 1820.

By the way, attempts to open the white continent had been made before, but did not bring the desired success: a little luck was missing, and perhaps Russian perseverance.

Thus, the navigator James Cook, summing up the results of his second voyage around the world, wrote: “I went around the ocean of the southern hemisphere in high latitudes and rejected the possibility of the existence of a continent, which, if it could be discovered, would only be near the pole in places inaccessible to navigation.”

During Bellingshausen's Antarctic expedition, more than 20 islands were discovered and mapped, sketches of Antarctic species and the animals living there were made, and the navigator himself went down in history as a great discoverer.

“The name of Bellingshausen can be directly placed alongside the names of Columbus and Magellan, with the names of those people who did not retreat in the face of difficulties and imaginary impossibilities created by their predecessors, with the names of people who followed their own independent path, and therefore were destroyers of barriers to discovery, which designate epochs,” wrote the German geographer August Petermann.

Discoveries of Semenov Tien-Shansky

Central Asia at the beginning of the 19th century was one of the least studied areas of the globe. An undeniable contribution to the study of the “unknown land” - as geographers called Central Asia - was made by Pyotr Semyonov.

In 1856, the researcher’s main dream came true - he went on an expedition to the Tien Shan.

“My work on Asian geography led me to a thorough acquaintance with everything that was known about inner Asia. I was especially attracted to the most central of the Asian mountain ranges - the Tien Shan, which had not yet been touched by a European traveler and was known only from scanty Chinese sources.

Semenov's research in Central Asia lasted two years. During this time, the sources of the Chu, Syr Darya and Sary-Jaz rivers, the peaks of Khan Tengri and others were mapped.

The traveler established the location of the Tien Shan ridges, the height of the snow line in this area and discovered the huge Tien Shan glaciers.

In 1906, by decree of the emperor, for the merits of the discoverer, the prefix began to be added to his surname - Tien Shan.

Semenov Peak in Kyrgyzstan (4875 meters)

Asia Przhevalsky

In the 70-80s. XIX century Nikolai Przhevalsky led four expeditions to Central Asia. This little-studied area has always attracted the researcher, and traveling to Central Asia has been his long-time dream.

Over the years of research, mountain systems have been studied Kun-Lun , ridges of Northern Tibet, sources of the Yellow River and Yangtze, basins Kuku-nora and Lob-nora.

Przhevalsky was the second person after Marco Polo to reach lakes-swampsLob-hole!

In addition, the traveler discovered dozens of species of plants and animals that are named after him.

“Happy fate made it possible to make a feasible exploration of the least known and most inaccessible countries of inner Asia,” Nikolai Przhevalsky wrote in his diary.

Kruzenshtern's circumnavigation

The names of Ivan Kruzenshtern and Yuri Lisyansky became known after the first Russian round-the-world expedition.

For three years, from 1803 to 1806. - and this is exactly how long the first circumnavigation of the world lasted - the ships “Nadezhda” and “Neva”, having passed through the Atlantic Ocean, rounded Cape Horn, and then through the waters of the Pacific Ocean reached Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. The expedition clarified the map of the Pacific Ocean and collected information about the nature and inhabitants of Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands.

During the voyage, Russian sailors crossed the equator for the first time. This event was celebrated, according to tradition, with the participation of Neptune.

The sailor, dressed as the lord of the seas, asked Krusenstern why he came here with his ships, because the Russian flag had not been seen in these places before. To which the expedition commander replied: “For the glory of science and our fatherland!”

Nevelsky Expedition

Admiral Gennady Nevelskoy is rightfully considered one of the outstanding navigators of the 19th century. In 1849, on the transport ship “Baikal”, he went on an expedition to the Far East.

The Amur expedition lasted until 1855, during which time Nevelskoy made several major discoveries in the area of ​​the lower reaches of the Amur and the northern shores of the Sea of ​​Japan, and annexed the vast expanses of the Amur and Primorye regions to Russia.

Thanks to the navigator, it became known that Sakhalin is an island that is separated by the navigable Tatar Strait, and the mouth of the Amur is accessible for ships to enter from the sea.

In 1850, Nevelsky’s detachment founded the Nikolaev post, which today is known as Nikolaevsk-on-Amur.

“The discoveries made by Nevelsky are invaluable for Russia,” wrote Count Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky “Many previous expeditions to these regions could have achieved European glory, but none of them achieved domestic benefit, at least to the extent that Nevelskoy accomplished this.”

North of Vilkitsky

The purpose of the hydrographic expedition of the Arctic Ocean in 1910-1915. was the development of the Northern Sea Route. By chance, captain 2nd rank Boris Vilkitsky took over the duties of the voyage leader. Icebreaking steamships "Taimyr" and "Vaigach" went to sea.

Vilkitsky moved through the northern waters from east to west, and during his voyage he was able to compile a true description of the northern coast of Eastern Siberia and many islands, received the most important information about currents and climate, and also became the first to make a through voyage from Vladivostok to Arkhangelsk.

The expedition members discovered the Land of Emperor Nicholas II, known today as Novaya Zemlya - this discovery is considered the last significant discovery on the globe.

In addition, thanks to Vilkitsky, the islands of Maly Taimyr, Starokadomsky and Zhokhov were put on the map.

At the end of the expedition, the First World War began. The traveler Roald Amundsen, having learned about the success of Vilkitsky’s voyage, could not resist exclaiming to him:

“In peacetime, this expedition would excite the whole world!”

Kamchatka campaign of Bering and Chirikov

The second quarter of the 18th century was rich in geographical discoveries. All of them were made during the First and Second Kamchatka expeditions, which immortalized the names of Vitus Bering and Alexei Chirikov.

During the First Kamchatka Campaign, Bering, the leader of the expedition, and his assistant Chirikov explored and mapped the Pacific coast of Kamchatka and Northeast Asia. Two peninsulas were discovered - Kamchatka and Ozerny, Kamchatka Bay, Karaginsky Bay, Cross Bay, Providence Bay and St. Lawrence Island, as well as the strait, which today bears the name of Vitus Bering.

Companions - Bering and Chirikov - also led the Second Kamchatka Expedition. The goal of the campaign was to find a route to North America and explore the Pacific Islands.

In Avachinskaya Bay, the expedition members founded the Petropavlovsk fort - in honor of the ships "St. Peter" and "St. Paul" - which was later renamed Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

When the ships set sail to the shores of America, by the will of an evil fate, Bering and Chirikov began to act alone - because of the fog, their ships lost each other.

"St. Peter" under the command of Bering reached the west coast of America.

And on the way back, the expedition members, who had to endure many difficulties, were thrown onto a small island by a storm. This is where Vitus Bering’s life ended, and the island where the expedition members stopped for the winter was named after Bering.
Chirikov’s “Saint Paul” also reached the shores of America, but for him the voyage ended more happily - on the way back he discovered a number of islands of the Aleutian ridge and returned safely to the Peter and Paul prison.

“Unclear Earthlings” by Ivan Moskvitin

Little is known about the life of Ivan Moskvitin, but this man nevertheless went down in history, and the reason for this was the new lands he discovered.

In 1639, Moskvitin, leading a detachment of Cossacks, set sail to the Far East. The main goal of the travelers was to “find new unknown lands” and collect furs and fish. The Cossacks crossed the Aldan, Mayu and Yudoma rivers, discovered the Dzhugdzhur ridge, separating the rivers of the Lena basin from the rivers flowing into the sea, and along the Ulya River they reached the “Lamskoye”, or Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Having explored the coast, the Cossacks discovered the Taui Bay and entered the Sakhalin Bay, rounding the Shantar Islands.

One of the Cossacks reported that the rivers in the open lands “are sable, there are a lot of all kinds of animals, and fish, and the fish are big, there are no such fish in Siberia... there are so many of them - you just need to launch a net and you can’t drag them out with fish...”.

Geographic data collected by Ivan Moskvitin formed the basis of the first map of the Far East.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The most famous journey of the 14th century. is the journey of the Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin. In the summer of 1466, merchants from Tver decided to go to trade on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The merchant Afanasy Nikitin was chosen as the head of the caravan of two ships. From the very first days of the trip he began to keep a diary. The caravan reached Nizhny Novgorod safely. In order to sail further unhindered along the Volga, the merchants had to join the caravan of the Shirvan embassy led by Hasan Bey. Together with him they passed Kazan, freely passed through the Horde and Sarai. But at the mouth of the Volga they were attacked by the Tatars of the Astrakhan Khan. Here the travelers lost two ships that ran aground. The Tatars plundered these ships and captured everyone who was there.

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

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

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

Travel map of Afanasy Nikitin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Afanasy Nikitin is a Russian traveler, Tver merchant and writer. Traveled from Tvrea to Persia and India (1468-1474). On the way back I visited the African coast (Somalia), Muscat and Turkey. Nikitin’s travel notes “Walking across Three Seas” are a valuable literary and historical monument. Marked by the versatility of his observations, as well as his religious tolerance, unusual for the Middle Ages, combined with devotion to the Christian faith and his native land.

Semyon Dezhnev (1605 -1673)

An outstanding Russian navigator, explorer, traveler, explorer of Northern and Eastern Siberia. In 1648, Dezhnev was the first among the famous European navigators (80 years earlier than Vitus Bering) to navigate the Bering Strait, which separates Alaska from Chukotka. A Cossack ataman and fur trader, Dezhnev actively participated in the development of Siberia (Dezhnev himself married a Yakut woman, Abakayada Syuchyu).

Grigory Shelikhov (1747 - 1795)

Russian industrialist who conducted geographical exploration of the northern Pacific Islands and Alaska. Founded the first settlements in Russian America. The strait between the island is named after him. Kodiak and the North American continent, a bay in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, a city in the Irkutsk region and a volcano in the Kuril Islands. The remarkable Russian merchant, geographer and traveler, nicknamed by G. R. Derzhavin “Russian Columbus”, was born in 1747 in the city of Rylsk, Kursk province, into a bourgeois family. Overcoming the space from Irkutsk to the Lama (Okhotsk) Sea became his first journey. In 1781, Shelikhov created the North-East Company, which in 1799 was transformed into the Russian-American Trading Company.

Dmitry Ovtsyn (1704 - 1757)

Russian hydrographer and traveler, led the second of the detachments of the Great Northern Expedition. He made the first hydrographic inventory of the Siberian coast between the mouths of the Ob and Yenisei. Discovered the Gydan Bay and the Gydan Peninsula. Participated in the last voyage of Vitus Bering to the shores of North America. A cape and an island in the Yenisei Bay bear his name. Dmitry Leontyevich Ovtsyn had been in the Russian fleet since 1726, took part in the first voyage of Vitus Bering to the shores of Kamchatka, and by the time the expedition was organized he had risen to the rank of lieutenant. The significance of Ovtsyn’s expedition, as well as the rest of the detachments of the Great Northern Expedition, is extremely great. Based on the inventories compiled by Ovtsyn, maps of the places he explored were prepared until the beginning of the 20th century.

Ivan Krusenstern (1770 - 1846)

Russian navigator, admiral, led the first Russian round-the-world expedition. For the first time he mapped most of the coastline of the island. Sakhalin. One of the founders of the Russian Geographical Society. The strait in the northern part of the Kuril Islands, the passage between the island, bears his name. Tsushima and the islands of Iki and Okinoshima in the Korea Strait, islands in the Bering Strait and the Tuamotu archipelago, a mountain on Novaya Zemlya. On June 26, 1803, the ships Neva and Nadezhda left Kronstadt and headed for the shores of Brazil. This was the first passage of Russian ships to the southern hemisphere. On August 19, 1806, while staying in Copenhagen, the Russian ship was visited by a Danish prince who wished to meet with Russian sailors and listen to their stories. The first Russian circumnavigation was of great scientific and practical importance and attracted the attention of the whole world. Russian navigators corrected English maps, which were then considered the most accurate, in many points.

Thaddeus Bellingshausen (1778 - 1852)

Thaddeus Bellingshausen is a Russian navigator, participant in the first Russian circumnavigation of I. F. Kruzenshtern. Leader of the first Russian Antarctic expedition to discover Antarctica. Admiral. The sea off the coast of Antarctica, the underwater basin between the continental slopes of Antarctica and South America, islands in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and the Aral Sea, the first Soviet polar station on the island bear his name. King George in the South Shetland Islands archipelago. The future discoverer of the southern polar continent was born on September 20, 1778 on the island of Ezel near the city of Arensburg in Livonia (Estonia).

Fyodor Litke (1797-1882)

Fyodor Litke - Russian navigator and geographer, count and admiral. Leader of the round-the-world expedition and research on Novaya Zemlya and the Barents Sea. Discovered two groups of islands in the Caroline chain. One of the founders and leaders of the Russian Geographical Society. Litke's name is given to 15 points on the map. Litke led the nineteenth Russian round-the-world expedition for hydrographic studies of little-known areas of the Pacific Ocean. Litke's journey was one of the most successful in the history of Russian voyages around the world and was of great scientific importance. The exact coordinates of the main points of Kamchatka were determined, the islands were described - Caroline, Karaginsky, etc., the Chukotka coast from Cape Dezhnev to the mouth of the river. Anadyr. The discoveries were so important that Germany and France, arguing over the Caroline Islands, turned to Litke for advice on their location.

Russian discoverers and travelers of the 19th century made a number of outstanding discoveries that became the property of not only Russian, but also foreign and world science. In addition, they made a significant contribution to the development of domestic knowledge and did a lot to contribute to the training of new personnel for the development of marine research.

Prerequisites

Russian discoverers and travelers of the 19th century made their discoveries largely because this century saw the need to search for new trade routes and opportunities to support Russia’s connections with other countries. At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries, our country finally strengthened its status in the international arena as a world power. Naturally, this new position expanded its geopolitical space, which required new exploration of the seas, islands and ocean coasts for the construction of ports, ships and the development of trade with foreign countries.

Russian discoverers and travelers of the 19th century emerged as talented navigators just at the same time when our country achieved access to two seas: the Baltic and the Black. And this is no coincidence. This opened up new prospects for maritime research and gave impetus to the construction and development of fleets and maritime affairs in general. Therefore, it is not surprising that already in the first decades of the century under review, Russian discoverers and travelers of the 19th century carried out a number of outstanding studies that significantly enriched Russian geographical science.

Plan for a round-the-world expedition

Such a project became possible largely thanks to the successful military actions of our country at the end of the 18th century. At this time, Russia received the opportunity to build its fleet on the Black Sea, which, of course, was supposed to stimulate maritime affairs. Russian navigators at this time were seriously thinking about creating convenient trade routes. This was further facilitated by the fact that our country owned Alaska in North America. It was also necessary to maintain constant contacts with her and develop economic cooperation.

I.F. At the end of the 18th century, Kruzenshtern presented a plan for a round-the-world expedition. However, he was rejected then. But just a few years later, after the accession of Alexander I, the Russian government showed interest in the presented plan. He received approval.

Preparation

I.F. Krusenstern came from a noble family. He studied at the Kronstadt Naval Corps and, as its student, took part in the war against Sweden, showing himself well then. After this, he was sent for an internship to England, where he received an excellent education. Upon returning to Russia, he presented a plan for a round-the-world expedition. Having received approval, he carefully prepared for it, purchased the best instruments and equipped the ships.

His closest assistant in this matter was his comrade Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky. He became friends with him in the cadet corps. The friend also proved himself to be a talented naval officer during the Russian-Swedish War of 1788-1790. Soon two ships named “Neva” and “Nadezhda” were equipped. The latter was led by Count Nikolai Rezanov, who became famous thanks to the famous rock opera. The expedition set sail in 1803. Its goal was to explore and explore the possibility of opening new trade routes from Russia to China and the coast of North American territory.

Swimming

Russian sailors rounded Cape Horn and, entering the Pacific Ocean, separated. Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky led his ship to the North American shores, where he recaptured the Russian trading city of Novo-Arkhangelsk, captured by the Indians. During this voyage he also sailed a sailing ship around South Africa for the first time in the history of navigation.

The ship "Nadezhda" under the leadership of Kruzenshtern set off for the Sea of ​​Japan. The merit of this researcher is that he carefully examined the shores of Sakhalin Island and made significant changes to the map. The main thing was to investigate what the leadership of the Pacific Fleet had long been interested in. Kruzenshtern entered the Amur Estuary, after which, having explored the shores of Kamchatka, he returned to his homeland.

Krusenstern's contribution to science

Russian travelers significantly advanced Russian geographical science, bringing it to the world level of development. attracted the attention of the general public. After the end of the trip, both wrote books that presented the results of their research. Kruzenshtern published “A Journey Around the World,” but the atlas he published with hydrographic applications is of particular importance. He filled in many blank spots on the map and conducted valuable research on the seas and oceans. So, he studied water pressure and temperature, sea currents, ebbs and flows.

Social activity

His further career was closely connected with the naval corps, where he was first assigned as an inspector. Subsequently, he began teaching there, and then headed it altogether. On his initiative, the Higher Officer Classes were created. Later they were transformed into the Maritime Academy. Krusenstern introduced new disciplines into the educational process. This has significantly improved the quality of maritime teaching.

In addition, he helped in organizing other expeditions, in particular, he contributed to the plans of another prominent explorer O. Kotzebue. Kruzenshtern took part in the creation of the famous Russian Geographical Society, which was destined to occupy one of the leading places not only in Russian, but also in world science. The “Atlas of the South Sea” he published was of particular importance for the development of geography.

Preparation of a new expedition

Several years after his trip, Kruzenshtern insisted on a thorough study of the southern latitudes. He proposed equipping two expeditions to the North and South Poles, two ships each. Before this, the navigator came almost close to Antarctica, but ice prevented him from going further. Then he assumed that the sixth continent either did not exist or was impossible to get to.

In 1819, the Russian leadership decided to equip a new squadron for sailing. Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen, after a number of delays, was appointed its leader. It was decided to build two ships: Mirny and Vostok. The first one was designed according to the plan of Russian scientists. It was durable and waterproof. However, the second one, built in Great Britain, was less stable, so it had to be rebuilt, rebuilt and repaired more than once. The preparation and construction was supervised by Mikhail Lazarev, who complained about such a discrepancy between the two vessels.

Journey to the South

A new expedition set off in 1819. She reached Brazil and, rounding the mainland, reached the Sandwich Islands. In January 1820, a Russian expedition discovered the sixth continent - Antarctica. During maneuvers around it, many islands were discovered and described. Among the most significant discoveries are the island of Peter I, the coast of Alexander I. Having made the necessary description of the shores, as well as sketches of animals seen on the new continent, Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen sailed back.

During the expedition, in addition to the discovery of Antarctica, other discoveries were made. For example, participants discovered that Sandwich Land is an entire archipelago. In addition, the island of South Georgia was described. Descriptions of the new continent are of particular importance. From his ship, Mikhail Lazarev had the opportunity to better observe the earth, so his conclusions are of particular value for science.

The meaning of discoveries

The expedition of 1819-1821 was of great importance for domestic and world geographical science. The discovery of a new, sixth continent changed the understanding of the geography of the Earth. Both travelers published the results of their research in two volumes with an atlas and necessary instructions. During the trip, about thirty islands were described, magnificent sketches of the views of Antarctica and its fauna were made. In addition, the expedition participants collected a unique ethnographic collection, which is stored at Kazan University.

Further activities

Bellingshausen subsequently continued his naval career. He took part in the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-1829, commanded the Baltic Fleet, and then was appointed governor of Kronstadt. An indicator of recognition of his merits is the fact that a number of geographical objects are named after him. First of all, the sea in the Pacific Ocean should be mentioned.

Lazarev also distinguished himself after his famous journey to Antarctica. He was appointed commander of an expedition to protect the shores of Russian America from smugglers, which he successfully accomplished. Subsequently, he commanded the Black Sea Fleet and participated in it, for which he received several awards. So, the great discoverers from Russia also made their outstanding contribution to the development of geography.

The largest country has been gathering for centuries. The discoverers of new lands and seas were travelers. Having paved the way to the new, mysterious, through unpredictable difficulties and risks, they achieved their goal. I think that these people, on a personal level, having overcome the dangers and suffering of the expeditions, accomplished a feat. I want to remind you of three of them, who did a lot for the state and science.

Great Russian travelers

Dezhnev Semyon Ivanovich

Semyon Dezhnev (1605-1673), an Ustyug Cossack, was the first to circumnavigate the easternmost part of our Fatherland and all of Eurasia by sea. A strait passed between Asia and America, opening the way from the Arctic Ocean to the Pacific.

By the way, Dezhnev discovered this strait 80 years earlier than Bering, who visited only its southern part.

The cape is named after Dezhnev, the same one next to which the date line runs.

After the discovery of the strait, an international commission of geographers decided that this place was the most convenient for drawing such a line on the map. And now a new day on Earth begins at Cape Dezhnev. Please note, 3 hours earlier than in Japan and 12 earlier than in the London suburb of Greenwich, where universal time begins. Isn't it time to align the prime meridian with the international date line? Moreover, such proposals have been coming from scientists for a long time.

Pyotr Petrovich Semyonov-Tien-Shansky

Pyotr Petrovich Semyonov-Tien-Shansky (1827-1914), leading scientist of the Russian Geographical Society. Not an armchair scientist. He had a disposition that only climbers can appreciate. Literally a conqueror of mountain peaks.

Among the Europeans, he was the first to penetrate the inaccessible mountains of the Central Tien Shan. He discovered the peak of Khan Tengri and the huge glaciers on its slopes. At that time, in the West, with the light hand of the German scientist Humboldt, it was believed that ridges of volcanoes were erupting there.

Semenov-Tien-Shansky discovered the sources of the Naryn and Saryjaz rivers, and along the way he discovered that the Chu River, despite the opinion of geographers of the “international community,” does not flow from Lake Issyk-Kul. He penetrated into the upper reaches of the Syr Darya, which were also untrodden before him.

The question of what Semyonov-Tien-Shansky discovered is very easy to answer. He opened the Tien Shan to the scientific world, at the same time offering this world a completely new way of knowledge. Semenov Tien-Shansky was the first to study the dependence of mountain relief on its geological structure. Through the eyes of a geologist, botanist and zoologist rolled into one, he saw nature in its living family connections.

Thus was born the Russian original geographical school, which was based on the reliability of an eyewitness and was distinguished by its versatility, depth and integrity.

Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev

Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (1788-1851), Russian admiral. On the ship "Mirny".

In 1813, Lazarev was tasked with establishing regular communications between St. Petersburg and Russian America. Russian America included the regions of Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, as well as Russian trading posts in the states of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California. The southernmost point is Fort Ross, 80 km from San Francisco. These places have already been explored and inhabited by Russia (by the way, there is information that one of the settlements in Alaska was founded by Dezhnev’s companions in the 17th century). Lazarev traveled around the world. Along the way, in the Pacific Ocean he discovered new islands, which he named after Suvorov.

Where Lazarev is especially revered is in Sevastopol.

The admiral had not only voyages around the world, but also participated in battles with an enemy many times superior in the number of ships. During the time that Lazarev commanded the Black Sea Fleet, dozens of new ships were built, including the first ship with a metal hull. Lazarev began to train sailors in a new way, at sea, in an environment close to combat.

He took care of the Maritime Library in Sevastopol, built a meeting house and a school there for the children of sailors, and began building the admiralty. He also built the admiralties in Novorossiysk, Nikolaev and Odessa.

In Sevastopol, there are always fresh flowers at the grave and at the monument to Admiral Lazarev.