A presentation on germen geographer one of the founder of modern geography ''alexander von Humboldt " by M Haroon khan bazai university of Baluchistan, Quetta

2. ALEXANDER
VON
HUMBOLDT
(1769-1859)
PREPARED BY : M HAROON AND M KAMRAN

3.  KEY WORDS
 BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
 TIMELINE
 THE BEGINNING
 ALEXANDER’S JOB
 THE JOURNEY
 THE ROUTE OF ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT(MAP)
 CONTRIBUTION IN THE FIELD OF GEOGRAPHY
 DEATH OF ALEXANDER
 OUR PERSONAL NOTIONS ABOUT ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT
 CONCLUTION

4. KEY WORDS
 SEXTANT:
 An instrument with graduated arc of 60 degree and a sighting
mechanism, used for measuring the angular distance from objects
and especially for taking altitude in navigation and surveying.
 TELESCOPE:
An optical instrument designed to make distant object nearer, containing
an arrangement of lenses and curved mirrors by which rays of light are
collected and focused and resulting image magnified (exaggerated )
 ETHNOGRAPHICAL SPECIMENS:
the scientific description of people and cultures with reference to
their particular customs and characteristics

5. Cont.….
 ARCHEOLOGY :
The study of human history and pre history through the excavation of
Site and the analysis of art facts and other physical remains.
 FLORA :
Flora is a word of Latin origin referring to Flora, the goddess of flowers.
The term can refer to a group of plants of a region.
 FAUNA:
Fauna can refer to the animal life or classification of animals of a certain
region, time period, or environment.

6. CONT…
 PRUSSIA:
former state in N Europe,became a military power in the 18thcentury and in
1871 led the formation of the German empire; formally
abolished as an administrative unit in 1947.
 GUANO:
 the dried dropping or excrement of fish eating sea birds in the rocky coastal
region of south America ,contains, urates, oxalates and phosphates of
ammonium and calcium used as fertilizer.
 CINCHONA PLANT:
the leaves of this plant is used for making medicine (quinine )which is used to
cure malaria.

7. CONT…
 NAVIGATION:
 A field of study that focusses on the process of
monitoring and controlling the movement of craft or
vehicle from one place to another. Land navigation,
marine navigation, space navigation and aeronautic
navigation.

8. BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
 BORN SEPTEMBER 14, 1769 BERLIN
 DIED MAY 6, 1859 (AGED 89 )
 NATIONALITY PRUSSIAN
 FIELD GEOGRAPHY
 KNOWN FOR BIOGEOGRAPHY,KOSMOS (1845)
 INFLUENCED CHARLES DARWIN

9. The timeline
My timeline
1769
Alexander was born
1775
He knew how to read and write well
1778
His dad died
1799
He mapped over1700 miles of the Orinoco river
1800
He travelled to South America
1802
He climbed Mt Chimborazo
1803
He explored Mexico
1804
He wrote 30 volumes on field studies in Paris and stayed for 23 years
Alex died
1859

10. Alexander Von Humboldt was born in 1769, Berlin,
Germany. the most famous German of his time, was
celebrated as a geographer, explorer, and naturalist, he
was well known for his valuable contributions to the
development of the social sciences.He was a very smart
young boy so in 1773 (4 years old) he already knew how
to read and write very well. His father was an officer in
Prussian army and died in 1778 when Alexander was only
9. So he and his brother Wilhelm were raised by their
mother.

11. CONT….
Alexander von Humboldt's travels,
experiments, and knowledge transformed
western science in the nineteenth century.
In 1792 (aged 22) he began a job as a
government mine inspector in Franconia,
Prussia.

12. EMPLOY IN MINES DEPARTMENT
 once he was old enough, Alexander began to study at
the Freiberg Academy of Mines under the famous
geologist A.G. Werner. Von Humboldt met George
Forester, Captain James Cook's scientific illustrator
from his second voyage, and they hiked around Europe.
In 1792, at the age of 22, von Humboldt began a job as a
government mines inspector in Franconia, Prussia.

13. PRUSSIA
 Prussia was a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the
Margraviate of Brandenburg, and centered on the region of Prussia.
A former state in N Europe became a military power in the 18thcentury and i
n 1871 led the formation of the German empire, formally
abolished as an administrative unit in 1947.
 Founded: 1525
 Capitals: Berlin, Konigsberg
 Date dissolved: 1947
 Population: 41.92 million (1939)
 Currency: Reichsthaler.
 Today part of: Germany, Poland, ,Lithuania (Baltic country) and some part
of Russia,north sea countries(Belgium,neth,lux) France ,
Switz,Austria,hungry Kaliningrad Oblast(Baltic coast Russia )

14. Humboldt set sail for South America on June 5th,
1779, with the best scientific instruments of his
time – sextants, compasses , telescopes and
microscopes. He was a scientist , geologist,
archaeologist, geographer, zoologist and explorer,
intent on finding out about the unity of nature.

15. Humboldt eventually visited the Canary Islands,
Venezuela, Brazil, Cuba, Columbia, Ecuador,
Bolivia, Peru, Mexico and the Eastern United States.
He collected geological, zoological, botanical and
ethnographical specimens, including 60,000 rare
species of new tropical plants.
CONT……

18. Cont.…
Humboldt was the first person to help
preserve the Cinchona plant because it was
over harvested at that time and it’s bark
contains quinine which is used to cure
Malaria. Humboldt was also the first person
to make accurate maps of the Inca ruins in
South America

19. CONTRIBUTION IN THE FIELD OF
GEOGRAPHY
 Variations in temperature at same latitude in accordance with
distance from sea or ocean.
 Permafrost.(A thick subsurface layer of soil that remains below freezing
point throughout the year, occurring mostly in polar regions.)
 Work in economic geography.
 Research( Field study of America)
 Established the correct latitudes and longitudes of places.
 Relationship b/w temp. altitude, vegetation, and agriculture.

20. GEOGRAPHICAL IDEAS :
 He was followed by a trip to the Andes and a climb
of Mt. Chimborazo (in modern Ecuador), then
believed to be the tallest mountain in the
world(20,720 ft.) While on the west coast of South
America, von Humboldt measured and discovered
the Peruvian Current, is also known as the
Humboldt Current. In 1803 He explored Mexico.

21. TRAVEL TO AMERICA:
 Once they arrived in South America, Alexander
von Humboldt and Bonpland studied the flora,
fauna, and topography of the continent. In 1800
von Humboldt mapped over 1700 miles of the
Orinoco River.

22. WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE
 Von Humboldt discovered and mapped the Casiquiare
Canal, the only natural canal that connects two major
rivers. He was also the first to discover the importance
of guano, which is dried droppings of fish-eating birds,
which is an excellent fertilizer.
 Von Humboldt studied electricity and is credited as
discovering the first animal that produced electricity,
the electric eel.

23. MAP SHOWING RIVER SYSTEM IN S
AMERICA

24. Later in Life
When Alexander Von Humboldt travelled to
the Ural Mountains in Siberia and to Central
Asia, he was at an old age of 60. He wrote
books about his discoveries. One of his
books, “A Personal Narrative”, inspired
young Charles Darwin. His last masterpiece
“Kosmos” tried to unify all science. He
died at an age of 90 leaving “Kosmos”
unfinished.

25. CONT…
While he was there Humboldt discovered what
we now call the Humboldt Current on the west
coast of South America. He was investigating
why the interior of Peru was so dry. The current
is a cold ocean current that flows along most of
the western coast of South America.

26. Climbing
 He climbed near the summit of
Mt. Chimborazo (20,720 ft.), he reached
19,860 ft. He climbed in 1802. Chimborazo
is Ecuador's highest point, but in terms of
elevation, it's far from the highest peak in
the Andes. In fact, there are almost 40
more impressive mountains in South
America, many of which (like Aconcagua,
the continent's highest peak) are located
farther south, near the Chile-Argentina
border.
Portrait of Alexander von
Humboldt with Mt.
Chimborazo in the
background.

27. MOVED TO BERLINS
 From 1827 to 1828, Alexander von Humboldt gave
public lectures in Berlin. The lectures were so popular
that new assembly halls had to be found due to the
demand. As von Humboldt got older, he decided to write
everything known about the earth. He called his work
Kosmos and the first volume was published in 1845,
when he was 76 years old. Kosmos was well written and
well received.

28. Baron Alexander von
Humboldt died on May 6th
1859. He was given a lavish
funeral which Berlin usually
reserved for royalty. He was
buried on the family estate at
Schloss Tegel.

29. After Death
After his death many things were named
after him like a current, a river, a mountain
range, a reservoir, a salt marsh, parks in
many counties and towns are all named
after him.

30. We think Alexander Von Humboldt was an
Inquirer because he was a zoologist and he studies
a lot of animals and plants.
We think Alexander von Humboldt was a
Knowledgeable person because he learned many
things at a very young age. He also wrote 30
volumes of books in French when he was German.
OUR PERSONAL NOTIONS REGARDING
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT

31. We think Alexander Von Humboldt was a very
good Communicator because he was German and
he knew how to read, write and speak French.
I think Alexander Von Humboldt is a Reflective
person Because he had to think back on what
plants he found.
CONT….

32. CONCLUSION
 Von Humboldt was the last true master but one of the first to
bring modern geography to the world. In brief, he disclosed
several unearthed facts via his precious expeditions. He played a
role of paramount significance especially in the field of social
sciences which gave way to many other explorers discover
cognizance concerning earth and the human beings. Moreover,
his expertise triggered many other scholars learn and unveil the
sea routes and a number of islands. In long and in short, it will not
be wrong to mention that he played the role of backbone in the
field of Geography coinciding other sciences and giving it a
special place in all sciences.