Justus Perthes: Karte des Nordöstlichen Hindukusch-Gebirges
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Cartographer:
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Justus Perthes
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Title:
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Karte des Nordöstlichen Hindukusch-Gebirges
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Date:
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1893
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Published:
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Gotha
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Width:
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10 inches / 26 cm
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Height:
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8 inches / 21 cm
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Map ref:
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IC2698
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Description:
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Detailed map of the Hindu Kush centred on Chitral, Pakistan. The map covers parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and northern India, and shows the Russo-British border during the Great Game. Kabul, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Srinagar are all marked. This area was of intense interest during the 19th and early 20th century as Britain sought to prevent Russia's steady advance towards India during the period known as the Great Game. Russia's borders are outlined in green, British territory is in pink, Afghanistan is in yellow, and the disputed region between the three is outlined in a dark purple. The map's legend indicates that this disputed area is "more or less subject to the British-Indian government".
The Geographische Mitteilungen, in which this map was originally published, is the oldest German language geographical journal - its first issue was in 1855 and it finally closed its doors in 2004. The magazine was conceived and edited by August Heinrich Petermann and published by the venerable firm of Justus Perthes in Gotha, Germany.
Its first article reported on an expedition into North Africa and the Sahara by Heinrich Barth and Adolf Overweg. This report was enough to secure a circulation of 4000 for the fledgling magazine and, more importantly, encouraged other important scientist-explorers of the day who were attracted by the magazine’s heavy scientific emphasis to send in their own reports. These included Hans Meyer, the first man to ascend the Kibo crater on Mount Kilimanjaro, Sven Hedin, the Swedish explorer of Central Asia and the Himalayas, and Alfred Wegener, the geoscientist who pioneered the theory of continental shift which led to the modern theory of plate tectonics.
In comparison to its contemporaries, such as the Geographical Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, the Mitteilungen had a far greater interest in ethnography and the physical and natural sciences, leading to the inclusion of many fascinating, but sometimes obscure, maps on the most recent theories related to climatology, meteorology, botany, and zoology.
Printed colour. [IC2698] |