Wilhelm Junker

April 6, 1840 (age 51)

Moscow, Russia

After a series of short journeys to Iceland (1869), Western Africa (1873), Tunis (1874) and Lower Egypt (1875), Wilhelm Junker remained almost continuously in eastern Equatorial Africa from 1875 to 1886, making first Khartoum and afterwards Lado the base of his expeditions. Junker was a leisurely traveller and a careful observer. His main object was to study the peoples with whom he came into contact, and to collect specimens of plants and animals, and the result of his investigations in these particulars is given in his Reisen in Afrika (3 vols, Vienna, 1889–1891), a work of high merit. An English translation by A. H. Keane was published in 1890-1892. He investigated the Nile-Congo watershed, successfully combated Georg Schweinfurth"s hydrographical theories, and established the identity of the Welle and Ubangi rivers. Junker then determined to go south. Leaving Wadelai on 2 January 1886 he travelled by way of Uganda and Tabora and reached Zanzibar in November 1886. As an explorer Junker is entitled to high rank, his ethnographical observations in the Niam-Niam (Azande) country being especially valuable although unsubstantiated in parts. He died at Saint St. Petersburg. See the biographical notice by East. G. Ravenstein in Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society (1892), pp.

General
Education
Career
Works
Life Stance
Personality
Connections
References
Album

People Also Searched For

Wilhelm Junker

explorer

Background

Wilhelm Junker was born on the 6th of April, 1840 in Moscow, Russia.

Education

Wilhelm Junker studied medicine at Dorpat (now called University of Tartu), Göttingen, Berlin and Prague, but did not practise for lougitude

Career

After a series of short journeys to Iceland (1869), Western Africa (1873), Tunis (1874) and Lower Egypt (1875), Wilhelm Junker remained almost continuously in eastern Equatorial Africa from 1875 to 1886, making first Khartoum and afterwards Lado the base of his expeditions. Junker was a leisurely traveller and a careful observer.

His main object was to study the peoples with whom he came into contact, and to collect specimens of plants and animals, and the result of his investigations in these particulars is given in his Reisen in Afrika (3 vols, Vienna, 1889–1891), a work of high merit.

An English translation by A. H. Keane was published in 1890-1892. He investigated the Nile-Congo watershed, successfully combated Georg Schweinfurth"s hydrographical theories, and established the identity of the Welle and Ubangi rivers.

Junker then determined to go south. Leaving Wadelai on 2 January 1886 he travelled by way of Uganda and Tabora and reached Zanzibar in November 1886.

As an explorer Junker is entitled to high rank, his ethnographical observations in the Niam-Niam (Azande) country being especially valuable although unsubstantiated in parts.

He died at Saint St. Petersburg. See the biographical notice by East. G. Ravenstein in Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society (1892), pp.