Nikolai Przewalski
| Nikolay Przhevalsky | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Nikolay Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky April 12, 1839 Kimborovo, Smolensk Governorate, Russian Empire (Now Russia) |
| Died | November 1, 1888 (aged 49) Karakol, Russian Empire (Now Kyrgyzstan) |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Occupation | explorer, geographer |
| Known for | exploration of Central Asia |
| Awards | Vega Medal (1884) |
Nikolay Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky (Russian: Никола́й Миха́йлович Пржева́льский; April 12 [O.S. March 31] 1839 – November 1 [O.S. October 20] 1888) was a Russian geographer and a renowned explorer of Central and East Asia. Although he never reached his ultimate goal, the holy city of Lhasa in Tibet, he traveled through regions then unknown to the West, such as northern Tibet (modern Tibet Autonomous Region), Amdo (now Qinghai) and Dzungaria (now northern Xinjiang). He contributed significantly to European knowledge of Central Asia and was the first known European to describe the only extant species of wild horse, which is named after him: Przewalski's horse.
Przhevalsky was born in Smolensk into a noble polonized Belarusian family (Polish name is Przewalski), and studied there and at the military academy in St. Petersburg. In 1864, he became a geography teacher at the military school in Warsaw.
In 1867, Przhevalsky successfully petitioned the Russian Geographical Society to be dispatched to Irkutsk, in central Siberia. His intention was to explore the basin of the Ussuri River, a major tributary of the Amur on the Russian-Chinese frontier. This was his first expedition of importance. It lasted two years, after which Przhevalsky published a diary of the expedition under the title, Travels in the Ussuri Region, 1867-69.
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