Justus Perthes
The Source of the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar, 1881
10 x 8 ½ in
26 x 21 cm
26 x 21 cm
SEAS5511
Reiseroute des Indischen Punditen A-a In Gebiet des Oberen Irawaddy 1879/80 A map showing the course of the upper Irrawaddy River in Kachin State, Myanmar. This extraordinary survey was...
Reiseroute des Indischen Punditen A-a In Gebiet des Oberen Irawaddy 1879/80
A map showing the course of the upper Irrawaddy River in Kachin State, Myanmar.
This extraordinary survey was conducted by Indian Pundits under the direction of Capt. J. E. Sandeman, the deputy director of the Survey of India. The Pundits were highly trained specialist surveyors who were able to travel to parts of Asia where Europeans could be in danger. As well as surveyors, they often played the role of spies and scouts during the Great Game.
This survey is focused on the upper course of the Irrawaddy River in Kachin State, Myanmar from Bhamo in the south. The actual source of the River's two main branches in the Himalayas is still under speculation at this time.
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.
Original colour. [SEAS5511]
A map showing the course of the upper Irrawaddy River in Kachin State, Myanmar.
This extraordinary survey was conducted by Indian Pundits under the direction of Capt. J. E. Sandeman, the deputy director of the Survey of India. The Pundits were highly trained specialist surveyors who were able to travel to parts of Asia where Europeans could be in danger. As well as surveyors, they often played the role of spies and scouts during the Great Game.
This survey is focused on the upper course of the Irrawaddy River in Kachin State, Myanmar from Bhamo in the south. The actual source of the River's two main branches in the Himalayas is still under speculation at this time.
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.
Original colour. [SEAS5511]
