Wissmann, Hermann von

Wissmann, Hermann von (her'män fun vis'män) [key], 1853–1905, German explorer in Africa. He crossed (1880–82) Africa from Luanda to Zanzibar and, on behalf of Leopold II of Belgium, explored (1883–85) the Kasai River system in the Congo basin. As German commissioner (1889–92) he suppressed an Arab revolt in German East Africa (now part of Tanzania). In the coastal area given up by the sultan of Zanzibar, he founded Moshi on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He was (1895–96) governor of German East Africa. His writings include My Second Journey through Equatorial Africa (1891, tr. 1891).

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

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