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iv. education and mental culture.
others rendered service we must name H. M. King Oscar II and Oscar Dickson
(1823—97).
To the south polar regions, also, Swedish explorers have penetrated. 0.
Nordenskjöld led an expedition (1901—04) to West Antarctica, south of S. America,
where he landed with a scientific party and wintered . for two years, while work
was prosecuted from the ship by J. O. Andersson. By this means and by several
long journeys by sleigh, unknown stretches of coast were discovered, and the
scientific results were important, beyond others the geological contributions
towards understanding the evolution of the antarctic zone. The vessel was wrecked
the next summer, but the members were rescued by an Argentine relief-expedition,
while a relief-expedition despatched from Sweden did not arrive until later.
In Asia, the work of Swedish exploration has been represented before all
others by the magnificent expeditions of Sven Hedin (born 1865). After two
shorter journeys (1885—86 and 1890—91) he undertook his first great journey
through Central Asia. In this he especially investigated lake Lop-nor and the
Takla-makan Desert. In 1899—1902, Hedin accomplished his second expedition
to the same parts, along the Tarim River to the desert region of Lopnor, and to
the neighbouring districts of Thibet, whose mountain ranges he crossed in several
directions. He started on a new expedition in 1906, this time to Persia first,
and then to the most inaccessible and unknown districts of Thibet, where, among
other things, he explored the sources of the Indus and the Bramaputra, and
discovered the enormous chain of mountains (north of the course of the latter
river) which he named Transhimalaya. Hedin’s journeys are especially remarkable
for an unusual wealth of detailed observation, recorded in comprehensive works,
and by the singular excellence of the map material collected.
In Africa Swedish exploration work for geographical purposes has been less
extensive, and we only record here that achieved in connection with commercial
activity by Charles Andersson (1827—67), who travelled through the Damara
and Ovambo Territories and by C. Waldau (born 1862), and E. Enutsson (born
1857) in the Cameroons, while H. H. von Schwerin (1853—1912) has worked
in the Congo region. Numbers of Swedes have been engaged in the service of
the Congo State. Of these many have won a reputation by their published
writings, or by the collections they have made. E. von Rosen (born 1879) has
recently traversed Africa from south to north for the purpose of scientific researches.
From North and Central America we must indicate the important archaeological
excavations of G. Nordenskiöld, in the south western frontier districts of the
United States, and the archaeological and ethnographic investigations of C. V.
Hariman (born 1862).
In South America explorations by far more numerous have taken place, for it is
thither, next to the polar regions, that Swedish scientists have most often repaired.
Anders Regnell (1807—84), a Swedish physician, lived in Brazil for 40 years
and by personal effort, and later by large bequests to Swedish students, advanced
the knowledge of tropical America, especially in respect of botany. During four
expeditions 1901—02, 1904—05, 1908—09, and 1913—14 Erland Nordenskiöld
(born 1877) visited the frontier regions between Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru,
and brought home comprehensive collections of remarkable value to ethnography,
and he made observations of little known Indian tribes. O. Nordenskjöld directed
an Expedition to the Magellan Territories in 1895 — 97 and to the same regions
as well as to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands another Expedition went
out (1907—09) under C. Skottsberg (born 1880), who returned home with scientific
results of great interest.
Lastly, we may quote the names of certain Swedish students who, individually
or as leaders of expeditions, have of recent years undertaken journeys in remote
lands, with some specially scientific purpose and thus have indirectly been of
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