Jakob Erhardt
| Johann Jakob Erhardt | |
|---|---|
19th century print of Erhardt
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| Born |
17 April 1823 Bönnigheim, Kingdom of Württemberg |
| Died | 14 August 1901 (aged 78) Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Missionary |
| Known for | Map of East African lakes |
Johann Jakob Erhardt, or John James Erhardt, (17 April 1823 – 14 August 1901) was a German missionary and explorer who worked in East Africa and India. Although he remained on or near the coast of East Africa, he contributed to European knowledge of the interior through gathering descriptions from local people who had traveled there. His map of the region stimulated dispatch of the expedition of Burton and Speke.
Erhardt was born on 17 April 1823 in Bönnigheim, then in the Kingdom of Württemberg. He was the son of a master tailor, and was apprenticed to a cooper. He worked with the Boennigheim Pietists, then joined the Basel Mission, where he was trained as a missionary until 1846. From 1846 to 1848 he studied with the Church Mission Society in London, where he was ordained in 1848.
Erhardt was dispatched by the Church Mission Society to East Africa. On 10 June 1849 Erhardt and John Wagner arrived at the Rabbai Mpia mission station near Mombasa, where they joined Johann Ludwig Krapf and Johannes Rebmann. However, Wagner died on 1 August 1849. In the spring of 1850 Erhardt and Krapf travelled by dhow down the East African coast from Mombasa. The boat was small and food was scarce, poor quality and difficult to prepare due to the rain. However, they collected much information about the interior.
Erhardt and Krapf went via Tanga, Kilwa, Lindi and Mikindani to Cape Delgado. The two missionaries, the first Europeans to investigate the coast in such detail, went unarmed and with few escorts, and were generally given a good reception by the Arabs, Swahilis and local people they met. They mapped the Pangani River's mouth, the delta of the Rufiji River and the Ruvuma River. After the voyage the two returned to the mission station, and in 1851 Krapf left for Europe to recuperate.
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