Richthofen, Ferdinand, Baron von

Richthofen, Ferdinand, Baron von (fer'dēnänt bärōn' fun rikht'hōfun) [key], 1833–1905, German geographer, geologist, and traveler. He took part in a Prussian expedition in E Asia (1860–62), worked as a geologist in W United States (1862–68), then made several exploring journeys in China and Japan (1868–72). His geographical, geological, economic, and ethnological findings in China were embodied in three volumes and an atlas (1877–85); three posthumous volumes appeared in 1911 and 1912. He was professor at the universities of Bonn (1875–83), Leipzig (1883–86), and Berlin (from 1886) and was the founder and the first director (1902–5) of the Institut für Meereskunde, Berlin.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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