Great German scientists. What did Humboldt discover? Contribution to Geography

What Humboldt did and what Humboldt's contribution to science and geography you will learn in this article.

What were Humboldt's contributions to science?

Alexander Humboldt discovered what?

The German scientist studied the nature of the countries of Central and South America, Europe, Siberia and the Urals. He is rightfully considered the founder of the geography of vegetation and the doctrine of life forms. He is responsible for the substantiation of the idea of vertical zoning. Humboldt laid basics of climatology and general geosciences. He described in detail the continental and coastal climates and established the nature of their differences. The multi-volume work “Cosmos” written had a huge influence on the development of the comparative method and evolutionary ideas in natural science.

After the death of his mother in 1796, the future scientist received a large inheritance, which he decided to invest in travel. His goal is to understand the physics of the world. First, he went to Spain on the Iberian Peninsula, where he studied nature. In Castile he was engaged in measuring geographical coordinates and studying mountain rocks, vegetation and climate. As a result, the King of Spain was so impressed by Humboldt's work that he introduced him to Bonpland and allowed him to explore the Spanish colonies in America.

Five years of study became known as second scientific discovery America. Stopping in the Canary Islands, Alexander Humboldt found a research object on the island of Tenerife - Pic de Teide. He found that with altitude, along with climate, there is a natural change in vegetation cover. So Humboldt discovered the law of vertical zoning, which says: when climbing mountains from the tropics to the Arctic, the entire set of latitudinal geographic zones is consistently reproduced.

Having reached South America, the researchers climbed the Silla volcano. In his cave, Alexander Humboldt found a collection of bones of extinct animals. He sent his find to the Parisian paleontologist Georges Cuvier. Meanwhile, having studied the vegetation of the cave, its climate and fauna, traveler became the founder new science speleology.

In 1800 he began exploring the Casiquiare and Orinoco rivers. He noticed that during floods, water from one river basin flows into another. Later this phenomenon will be called bifurcation. The traveler was the first to map the connection of two basins. During their journey, Bonpland and Humboldt collected samples rocks and plants, which made it possible to better study the world of South America in laboratory conditions.

Humboldt began to return to Europe through the entire South American continent. The campaign lasted 18 months, followed by another 2 months of sailing along the stormy Magdalena River. The scientist first imposed water body on the map and determined astronomical methods her geographical coordinates. After rafting down the river, the geographer ended up in Bogota, where he discovered the world's first huge deposit potassium salt, deposit coal and a mastodon cemetery. A four-month journey through the Andes brought him to the city of Quito (the modern capital of Ecuador). He studied three volcanoes near the city. Here the traveler was reunited with Bonpland. At that time, a record was set - for the first time, people stood so high near glaciers that did not melt under the hot equatorial sun. After studying volcanoes, Alexander Humboldt came to the conclusion that main role It is not the waters of the ocean that play a role in the formation of the relief on the planet, but the processes occurring in the deep interior.

When the scientist went down to Pacific Ocean from the snowy peaks of the Andes, I was amazed at how cold water in the tropics. That's how it was open cold powerful current , which washed the South American western shores.

In 1804, the expedition sailed to Mexico. Along the way, Humboldt constantly measured the temperature of the air and water as he moved towards the equator and north. For a long time he reflected on the theory of the origin of the current and rejected the version about the influence of Andean glaciers. The scientist formed the idea that they are born in the south polar region. Also summarized the formation of climate on the planet: In addition to geographic latitude, it depends on warm and cold currents, the distribution of land and sea, and atmospheric circulation.

In addition to South America, the scientist visited Russia and Asia. On Southern Urals he noticed that the magnetic compass needle was moving randomly. This compass position has been observed in several places. The geographer suggested that in the depths of the mountain there is iron ore. After confirming the assumption, Alexander Humboldt entered the history of science as pioneer of the geophysical method of searching for minerals. After sailing in the Caspian Sea, the scientist took samples of silt and water and gave them to naturalist Christian Ehrenberg, who accompanied him on the expedition. This allowed the latter to begin the first study of the microbiology of the Caspian Sea, thereby laying the foundation for limnology - the science of lakes.

Thanks to Humboldt's research, the foundations were laid scientific basis geomagnetism.

Upon returning home, Alexander Humboldt began processing the collected materials and wrote fundamental works “Geography of Plants”, “Pictures of Nature”, “Space”, “Central Asia”.

We hope that from this article you learned what Humboldt did for geography.

Humboldt Alexander (1769-1859)

German naturalist, geographer and traveler. Born into a noble family in Germany. The scientist spent his childhood in the family castle with the poetic name Tegel. This was followed by studying at best universities Germany - Frankfurt, Gottingen, Berlin and at the Freiberg Mining Academy. In 1799, Humboldt arrived in Madrid, where he met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain and himself Spanish king. The result of this audience for Humboldt was simply a fabulous gift: the king allowed any research to be carried out in the Spanish possessions in the New World without any restrictions and, most importantly, without reciprocal obligations on the part of the traveler himself.

Instructions were sent from Spain to local authorities to assist Humboldt's expedition in every possible way. “Never before has the Spanish government given such unlimited freedom to a traveler,” Humboldt himself wrote about this. Soon he, on a ship bearing the symbolic name "Pizarro", went to the shores of South America, where he spent almost 5 years studying scientific work- “physics of the world, structure globe, air analysis, physiology of plants and animals, sea currents” and much more.

Humboldt also followed some of the ancient Indian routes - on a pirogue from Apure, then from Orinoco to Angostura, spending the night in the thickets among wild animals. But he was especially struck by the monuments of the Inca civilization, their full of secrets abandoned cities and roads. He traveled part of his long journey along these Incan roads. The phrase said by Alexander Humboldt has remained forever in world history: “These Inca roads are the most outstanding creation of man in his entire long history.”

After his triumphant return from Latin America The famous scientist processed and recorded his observations for 20 years, which became the most fundamental work on the study of South America in the 19th century. These 30 huge volumes were published in 1807-1834. entitled "Journey to the Equinox Regions" New World" For the first time in history, South America was described in such detail.

Humboldt lived another half century and at the end of his life published the fundamental five-volume work “Cosmos”, in which he wrote about old maps America, about the reasons that led to the discovery of America and about the history of the first expeditions. These unique materials are still used in many scientific articles. In 1829, A. Humboldt traveled across Eurasia. He visited the mines and factories of Altai, climbed the mountains, made observations of magnetism, general

geological and geographical research Based on the results of his trip, the scientists were presented with a report where he described in detail his stay in Altai and noted the need to develop the resources of the region. The works of A. Humboldt had a great influence on the development of natural science, on the views of C. Darwin, N. Severtsov, C. Roulier, V. Dokuchaev, V. Vernadsky. He is one of the founders modern geography plants, geophysics, hydrography.

Many specialists who worked on Humboldt's biography noticed that not a single person could capture his universal activity.

We are not going to do this either, having noted only those most interesting, in our opinion, episodes from his biography, which will allow us to understand how the idea of the scientist’s journey to America, incredible in its results, arose and was so brilliantly realized. Let’s start with childhood so that, let’s be honest, we can surprise the reader somewhat.

Alexander was not considered a gifted child! Born in 1769 in Berlin, into a high-ranking family, from childhood, as was customary in high German society, he had numerous venerable teachers, but, despite all their efforts, he was clearly unable to live up to the expectations of his home teachers.

Timid and shy, he developed rather slowly, unable to grasp everything on the fly. The teachers despaired of him and did not believe that he had even mediocre abilities. In addition, the boy was not physically strong and was often sick.

One could, of course, explain Alexander’s poor success with a heavy academic load - he was being prepared for university. But that was obviously not the case. Alexander's elder brother, Wilhelm, who attracted teachers with his ingenuity, openness and liveliness of character, learned the same thing, but with relative ease.

He liked logic and philosophy, the basics of economics - in a word, everything that could eventually help him take a worthy place at the Prussian court. But this is exactly the kind of future their mother dreamed of for her sons... Alexander was interested in completely different things. As a child, he enjoyed collecting pebbles and plants, unconsciously giving preference to the natural sciences.

Such predilections, to put it mildly, were not respected among his family and relatives. Meanwhile, there is a legend that testifies not only to the seriousness of these hobbies, but also to the sensitive pride of young Humboldt.

Once, his arrogant aristocratic aunt, the wife of a chamberlain (a high-ranking court rank), mockingly asked, referring to Alexander’s botanical interests, if he was going to become a pharmacist. To this the eleven-year-old boy replied that it was better to become a pharmacist than to become a chamberlain.

Botany was not the only passion of the “little pharmacist,” as Alexander was called in his childhood. At home he was often found in a room hung with geographical maps. Apparently, even then a “demanding thirst for distance” began to haunt him. Time passed, and the timid shoots of this thirst, appearing from nowhere in the child’s soul, slowly but steadily sprouted...

However, forced studies continued. In 1787, Humboldt, at the insistence of his mother, went to Frankfurt an der Oder to university to study economics, finance and management.

He's bored here; and the level of teaching probably left much to be desired. “If the Queen of Sciences has her own temple somewhere,” Alexander writes home, “then, of course, not in this city.” Therefore, after the first semester, he decides not to return to Frankfurt.

At home in Berlin, satisfying his ever-increasing interest in botany, the young man carefully studies the local nature: he looks for various mosses, lichens and mushrooms, and repeatedly visits botanical garden. At the same time, as if preparing for the future, he learns to draw from life and masters the art of engraving. In the spring of 1789, Humboldt left Berlin again, going to Göttingen for further studies.

Unlike Frankfurt, at the University of Göttingen, where a fairly broad general education was given, Alexander’s rapid intellectual growth began in communication with erudite teachers. He studies the Greek language (in Humboldt’s own words, “the foundation of all learning”), higher mathematics, natural history, chemistry, botany, while also studying philology...

Already in student years one of the the most important qualities our hero - the universality of interests. He was not indifferent to literally everything that related to the relationship between man and nature. Dreams of distant travels, picturesque landscapes, strange plants and animals excited the student’s imagination...

It was then that Alexander meets a man who, perhaps, finally put an end to Humboldt's intended career as an official. This man was Georg Foster, botanist and zoologist, chemist and physicist, geographer and historian; a navigator who accompanied his father, the natural scientist Reinhold Forster, on the second expedition around the world of the famous James Cook.

Humboldt fell under the spell of this outstanding, versatile and energetic personality. Now his studies have finally become focused. In Hamburg, where Alexander continued his studies at a private trade academy, he tried to constantly communicate with foreigners in order to quickly learn the languages and customs of other countries.

At lectures, he primarily tried to remember information about colonial goods, money circulation, etc. At the same time, he makes excursions, during which he examines fossils - the remains of ancient plants and animals preserved in rocks...

Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt(German: Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt) - German encyclopedist, physicist, meteorologist, geographer, botanist, zoologist and traveler. Humboldt's scientific interests were extremely diverse.

A cold current near the western coast of South America (Peruvian Current), which he discovered in 1802, is named after him, as well as a lake and river in the USA (Nevada), a city and bay in California, a glacier in Greenland, mountains in Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand and Central Asia, crater on the Moon.

Alexander Humboldt is one of the most prominent scientists of the late 18th - early XIX centuries and a rare type of encyclopedist scientist for the 19th century. Contemporaries called Humboldt Aristotle of the 19th century, “the king of sciences and friend of kings.”.

Baron Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm von Humboldt was born on September 14, 1769 in Berlin. He was the second son in the family of a poor and not very noble nobleman from Pomerania. Fate gave Humboldt 90 years of life. And almost every year was filled with intense and fruitful work for the benefit of science.

Humboldt's father, with the rank of major, served as aide-de-camp to Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, then became chamberlain at the court of the Saxon Elector, and lived the rest of his life in Berlin, being a courtier to King Frederick II of Prussia. The future traveler's mother, née Colombe, brought her husband a considerable fortune. She owned Tegel Castle, a house in Berlin and other property.

The Humboldt children received an excellent education for those times. At first they studied at home. The tutor Christian Kunt, a great admirer of Rousseau, instilled in them a love of literature, philosophy, and history. Dr. Ludwig Heim, who later became a famous doctor, studied botany with the children and introduced them to the latest knowledge in the field of natural sciences. In Berlin, famous scientists were invited as teachers for children, who mainly taught the boys philosophy, legal sciences, and ancient languages.

In 1787, the Humboldt brothers, at the insistence of their mother, went to continue their education at the University of Frankfurt. However, a year later, Alexander returned to Berlin, where he studied Greek and botany, and in 1789, together with his brother Karl, he entered the famous University of Göttingen and began to study all sciences at once.

In 1790, Georg Forster, one of the pioneers of scientific geographical travel, J. Cook's companion, made a trip to Europe with Humboldt, during which he taught his young friend how to observe nature. The student not only learned the lessons well, but developed them and over time achieved significant results.

Returning from his trip, Humboldt continued his education at the Trade Academy in Hamburg, then at the Mining Academy in Freiburg, where he became a student of another outstanding scientist, geologist A. G. Werner.

Science, and its various fields, passionately attracted Humboldt. However, for five whole years, from 1792 to 1797, he had to work as a mining official in Franconia. During his travels, the young official was able to study mineralogy and even published a number of articles in various scientific journals. But he continued to passionately dream of travel.

After the death of his mother, when Humboldt received an inheritance of 85 thousand thalers, he was able to devote himself entirely to his favorite work - science and travel.

Alexander Humboldt decided to organize an expedition to own funds and invited the talented botanist E Bonpland, who had no money, and who was also delusional about travel, to participate in it. Together on the corvette Pizarro, on June 5, 1799, they set sail for America.

“My main goal,” the scientist wrote, “is the physics of the world, the structure of the globe, air analysis, the physiology of plants and animals, and finally - general relationship organic beings in inanimate nature...” And Alexander Humboldt accomplished this grandiose task, becoming the founder of a new comprehensive method of studying the world. But this required not one journey, but his entire long life.

On this expedition, which became " finest hour"for Humboldt, a young scientist visited Venezuela, until then closed to non-Spaniards, spent 4 months on the Orinoco River and proved its connection with the Amazon. Having collected enormous material in Venezuela, he went to Cuba, then returned to the mainland, climbed the Magdalena River, overcame a mountain pass and reached the city of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, which is located on the southern slope of the Pichincha volcano, at an altitude of 2818 m above sea level.

Then Humboldt explored the Andes all the way to northern Peru and visited the upper reaches of the Amazon. Humboldt paid a lot of attention to the study of volcanoes. He climbed Chimborazo to a height of 5881 m, although he did not reach the crater (the height of the volcano is 6272 m), he still set a record. Before him, no researcher had reached such a high level.

In March 1803, both travelers arrived in Mexico, where they covered all the provinces in a year. Humboldt continued to study volcanoes, incl. the most famous is Popocatepetl.

Then from Veracruz the travelers again headed to Havana, and from there to the North American cities of Philadelphia and Washington. Before his trip to the USA, Humboldt first corresponded with President Jefferson, also a great scientist. In Washington, the German scientist met not only with him, but also with other American statesmen. One of them wrote: “The treasures of his knowledge are worth more than the richest gold mine.” Humboldt was invited to stay in the USA, but he refused and in August 1804 he returned to Europe with Bonpland.

Despite the fact that Alexander Humboldt's expedition did not make any territorial discoveries, according to its scientific results, historians rank it among the greatest. Scientists brought with them huge collections: the herbarium alone consisted of 6 thousand plant specimens, about half of which were unknown to science.

Returning from America to Europe with rich collections, Humboldt processed them in Paris for more than 20 years together with other prominent scientists. In 1807-1834, the 30-volume “Travel to the equinoctial regions of the New World in 1799-1804” was published, most of which consists of descriptions of plants (16 volumes), astronomical, geodetic and cartographic materials (5 volumes), the other part - zoology and comparative anatomy, description of the journey, etc. Based on the materials of the expedition, Humboldt published a number of other works, including “Pictures of Nature”.

In 1827 he moved from Paris to Berlin, where he served as chamberlain and advisor to the Prussian king. In 1829, the great geographer, naturalist and traveler Alexander Humboldt traveled across Russia - to the Urals, Altai and the Caspian Sea. The nature of Asia was covered in the works “Fragments on the Geology and Climatology of Asia (1831) and Central Asia (1915).

Later Humboldt tried to generalize everything scientific knowledge about the nature of the Earth and the Universe in the monumental work "Cosmos". This work of Humboldt is an outstanding work of advanced materialist natural philosophy of the first half of the 19th century century. Humboldt's works had a great influence on the development of natural science.

Based on general principles and using the comparative method, Alexander Humboldt created physical geography , designed to find out the patterns in earth's surface. Humboldt's views served as the basis for general physical geography and landscape science, as well as plant geography and climatology. Humboldt substantiated the idea of the natural zonal distribution of vegetation on the Earth's surface and developed the ecological direction in the geography of plants.

He paid great attention to the study of climate and for the first time widely used average statistical indicators to characterize it, developed the isotherm method and compiled a schematic map of their distribution for Northern Hemisphere. Humboldt gave detailed description continental and coastal climates, pointed out the reasons for their differences and the processes of formation.

An essential character trait of the scientific naturalist was his absolute selflessness when it came to science. Humboldt spent 52 thousand thalers on organizing his famous expedition, 180 thousand were spent on processing and publishing its results. Thus, Humboldt completely spent his personal fortune on scientific purposes.

Humboldt was not married and had no family. His only love there was science. He gave his life and fortune to her. Financial situation being a scientist in old age was very unenviable. Thus, owing a significant amount to the banker Mendelssohn, Humboldt did not even know whether the things in the house belonged to him.

At the end of April 1859, Humboldt caught a severe cold and died a few days later, just four months short of his ninetieth birthday. He was buried at the expense of the state with great honors.

Alexander Humboldt

Humboldt Alexander (1769-1859), German naturalist, geographer and traveler, foreign honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1818). Brother V. Humboldt. He explored the nature of various countries in Europe, Central and South America (“Travel to the equinoctial regions of the New World,” vol. 1-30, 1807-34), the Urals, and Siberia. One of the founders of plant geography and the study of life forms. He substantiated the idea of vertical zonation and laid the foundations of general geosciences and climatology. Humboldt's works had a great influence on the development of evolutionary ideas and the comparative method in natural science.

Humboldt Alexander (1769-1859) - German philosopher and naturalist. Humboldt considered matter endowed with internal activity to be the only cosmic substance. In his opinion, the universal and fundamental properties of matter are movement, space and time. He defended the dialectical interpretation of movement as a unity of universal interconnection and development of phenomena, criticized Kant and natural philosophy Schelling And Hegel, positivism Konta . Great value attached to the union of science and materialist philosophy. His philosophical and natural scientific ideas contributed to the undermining of metaphysical views. Recognizing unity sensationalism and rationalism, Humboldt spoke out for a poetic understanding of reality, which, in his opinion, makes knowledge socially useful and humane. Strength Humboldt's epistemological views - recognition that knowledge is possible on the basis of experimental communication with nature. He expressed the interests of the radical wing of the German bourgeoisie, sympathized with the French bourgeois revolution late 18th century. Main works: “Pictures of Nature” (1808), “Cosmos” (5 volumes, 1845-59).

Philosophical Dictionary. Ed. I.T. Frolova. M., 1991, p. 100-101.

Humboldt Alexander (1769–1859), German naturalist, geographer and traveler. In 1799–1804 explored Central and South America. The result was a 30-volume work (1807–1834), the Russian translation was published in 1963–1969. In 1829 he traveled around Russia - to the Urals, Rudny Altai and to Caspian Sea. In the monograph “Cosmos” (1845–1862) he summarized all scientific knowledge about the nature of the Earth and the Universe. Humboldt created physical geography, laid the foundations of general geoscience, plant geography and climatology. He substantiated the idea of zonal distribution of vegetation on Earth, gave a detailed description of the features of coastal and continental climates. Ranges in Central Asia and in North America, a mountain on the island of New Caledonia, a glacier in Greenland, a river, a number of plants, minerals and a crater on the Moon.

Modern illustrated encyclopedia. Geography. Rosman-Press, M., 2006.

Friedrich-Heinrich-Alexander Humboldt was born on September 14, 1769 in Berlin. He spent his childhood with his older brother Wilhelm in Tegel. Both boys were raised at home.

In 1783, the brothers moved to Berlin. Private lectures and life in Berlin continued until 1787, when both brothers went to Frankfurt an der Oder to attend university. Wilhelm entered the law faculty, and Alexander entered the cameral faculty.

Alexander remained at the University of Frankfurt for only a year. Then he spent about a year in Berlin, studying technology, Greek and botany. Humboldt remained at the University of Göttingen until 1790.

In 1791 he went to Freiberg to become familiar with geology.

In the spring of 1792, Humboldt received a position as assessor of the mining department in Berlin, and in August he was appointed Oberbergmeister (head of mining) in Ansbach and Bayreuth. At this time he began research chemical composition air. Later they were continued together with Gay-Lussac and led to the following results: the composition of the atmosphere remains constant; the amount of oxygen in the air is twenty-one percent; the air does not contain any noticeable admixture of hydrogen.

The largest work of this period was research with electricity on animals, undertaken by Humboldt after familiarizing him with Galvani's discovery. The result of these studies was the two-volume work “Experiments on Irritated Muscle and Nerve Fibers,” published in 1797-1799.

In 1799, Humboldt went on a long journey across South America and Mexico. On August 3, 1804, after almost five years in America, Humboldt landed in Bordeaux.

Humboldt created the geography and orography of the area, explored its geology, collected data on the country's climate and understood it distinctive features. He also managed to collect huge botanical and zoological collections.

Humboldt remained in Paris to study and publish the materials he collected. The publication of An American Journey required many years and the collaboration of many scholars. The first volume was published in 1807, the last in 1833. The entire publication consists of 30 volumes and contains 1425 tables.

Humboldt established isotherms - lines connecting places with the same average temperature over a known period of time. The work on isotherms served as the basis for comparative climatology.

Before Humboldt, botanical geography did not exist as a science. His works defined the content of an already existing term. Humboldt based botanical geography on climate principle. He pointed out the analogy between the gradual change in vegetation from the equator to the pole and from the base of mountains to the top.

Humboldt was the first to prove that the intensity of terrestrial magnetism varies in different latitudes, decreasing from the poles to the equator. He also belongs to the discovery of sudden disturbances of the magnetic needle ("magnetic storms"), occurring simultaneously in different parts of the globe. Further, they discovered a secondary deviation of the magnetic needle during the day. He also showed that the magnetic equator (the line connecting the points where the magnetic needle is horizontal) does not coincide with the astronomical one.

Russian Emperor Nicholas I invited the scientist to take a trip to the East.

On May 1, 1829, Humboldt arrived in St. Petersburg. From here the travelers went through Moscow and Vladimir to Nizhny Novgorod. From Nizhny, the scientist sailed along the Volga to Kazan, from there to Perm and Yekaterinburg. For several weeks, travelers moved through the Lower and Middle Urals and explored its geology. Humboldt then went to Siberia. The last destination of the trip was Astrakhan.

In 1842 he was appointed Chancellor of the Order of Pour le Merite, established Frederick II for military merit awards. Frederick William IV gave him a civilian class.

Among the public, his fame was supported by his publicly available writings. This aspect of his activity culminated in the long-planned "Cosmos". "Cosmos" represents a body of knowledge of the first half of the 19th century and, most precious of all, a body compiled by a specialist, because Humboldt was a specialist in all fields, except perhaps higher mathematics.

IN recent years In his life, approaching the age of ninety, he led the same active lifestyle as he had once done in Paris. Humboldt died on May 6, 1859.

Reprinted from the site http://100top.ru/encyclopedia/