Ferdinand von Richthofen
| Ferdinand von Richthofen (1833-1905) |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
5 May 1833 Carlsruhe, Prussian Silesia |
| Died | 6 October 1905 (aged 72) Berlin, German Empire |
| Nationality | German |
| Fields | geography |
| Institutions |
University of Bonn University of Leipzig University of Berlin |
| Alma mater |
University of Breslau University of Berlin |
| Doctoral students |
Sven Hedin Alfred Philippson Arthur Berson Wilhelm Sievers |
| Notable awards |
Wollaston Medal (1892) Vega Medal (1903) |
Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen (5 May 1833 – 6 October 1905), better known in English as Baron von Richthofen, was a German traveller, geographer, and scientist. He is noted for coining the terms "Seidenstraße" and "Seidenstraßen" = "Silk Road(s)" or "Silk Route(s)" in 1877. He also standardized the practices of chorography and chorology. He was an uncle of the World War I flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, best known as the "Red Baron".
He was born in Carlsruhe, Prussian Silesia, and was educated in Breslau and Berlin. He traveled or studied in the Alps of Tyrol and the Carpathians in Transylvania. In 1860, he joined the Eulenburg Expedition, a Prussian expedition which visited Ceylon, Japan, Taiwan, Celebes, Java, the Philippines, Siam, Burma between 1860 and 1862. No important work resulted from these travels, for much of Richthofen's records and collections was lost. China was at the time inaccessible owing to the Taiping rebellion, but Richthofen was impressed with the desirability of exploring it. From 1862 to 1868, he worked as a geologist in the United States, discovering goldfields in California. He then followed up his interest in China by several more trips there, and also to Japan, Burma, and Java. In China he located the dried-up lake bed of Lopnur.
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