Mungo Park was a Scottish explorer who led one of the firstexpeditions to investigate the course of the Niger river in Western Africa. Mungo Park was a 23 year-old scottish surgeon surgeon who had just returnedfrom a journey to Sumatra on a ship of the East India Company.
There he haddiscovered 6 species of fish, he had published descriptions in a ScientificJournal. In 1795, Park had gone to Piscina, on an offer to research furtherinto Africa. Park had accepted and a severe fever overcame him during hisjourney. Park also had been captured by certain muslim leaders. After hehad got out of the Prison he had wandered around and had finally found theNiger River.
Park was amazed at how beautiful the River was. Park hadstated “I saw with infinite pleasure, the object of my, mission”. Park hadreturned home to London where became famous on his publications of hisvoyage across Africa. Later in 1806 he sailed downstream to the Bussa rapids, where hedrowned, trying to escape an attack by the Africans. Rene Callie was a 27 year old man who was fascinated by the storiestold about peoples travels to Africa. His readings of Mungo park alsostimulated his fascination.
Callie had entered a contest for the firstperson to reach Timbuktu and reach back. He had reached Timbuktu. DuringCallie’s trip he did not find it easy to prove to the French Authoritiesthat a young man with no experience could discover Timbuktu. On his wayback Callie had joined a Arab Caravan preparing to cross from WesternSahara to Morocco. Callie had stated “I am the first European to cross fromthe sandy ocean from the south to the north”.
On his return to Paris,Callie was known as a hero. Later, questions were asked if he was tellingthe truth or not. Johann RebmannJohann Rebmann was a German missionary, who was not like Mungo Park orRene Callie. The purpose of Rebmann’s explorations is to find a place wherehe might serve God.
His most helpful weapon was a umbrella, which he usedto fight off lions and would be attackers. Rebmann was the europeanexplorer who kept a careful record of his journey. Together with hispartner he paved the way for later explorers. Rebmann had found the MountKilimanjaro which was located in Tanzania. His missionary work was moredifficult than his exploration efforts. David LivingstoneDavid Livingstone was a scotsman who also was intrigued by themysteries of vast unexplored areas of South Africa.
He as Johann Rebmannwas also a missionary. ivingstone started working at a mission in sotho andhad also left because of dissagreements with the boers. In 1849 Livingstonehad gone with 2 game hunters to be an interpreter for an expeditionnorthward. They had gone north to Lake Ngami in Botswana but they could notgo further because of Livingstone’s families’ sickness at the time. Afterabout a year Livingstone resumed his explorations.
Livingstone had heard tales of the rushing waters of the ZambeziRiver. He wanted to know the source of this River. Livingstone had toreturn to England for his families safety and when he returned his missionwas destroyed by boers. Livingstone was ill and tired but he kept on hisjourney. In 1855 Livingstone had gone about two thousand miles when hereached the Victoria Falls.
Livingstone had returned to Engaland in 1856. In 1862 Livingstone had returned to Central Africa with a backing of theBritish Government. He was on his journey and he become sick and was in aAfrican hut for 6 months. Livingstone had been in Central Africa for 8years and the outside world had little information of his health and hiswhereabouts. In 1871 Henry Stanley a 28 year-old foriegn correspondent had heardrumors that a white man was living at the Vilage of Ujiji near lakeTanganika.
On November 10,1871 Stanley entered the village and there hefound the sick Livingstone. Stanley had brought the correct medicalsupplies to let Livingstone recover. In 1872 both Stanley and Livingstonehad gone to explore lakes and rivers of Central Africa. Livingstone haddied and was remembered as a hero for his explorations in Central Africa. Stanley had then left Livingstone to research further. Speke findsLake Victoria and names it after the Queen of England.
Richard BurtonRichard Burton was one of the most famous explorers in Africa . Burton’s Life story is filled with adventure. In 1853 Burton wasdisguiseeed as a Moslem he made dangerous pilgrammages to Mecca. In 1854 hewent to Harar in Ethiopia where capture meant death.
Burton and hiscompanion John Speke were the first Europeans to visit Somalialand. In1856, again with John Speke, Burton returned to East Africa to look for thesource of the Nile River. The trip was dangerous from Zanzibar. In 1858they came upon Lake Tanganika but it wasn’t the source of the NIle either. Burton returned home.
But Speake had gone with James Grant to find thesource of the Nile. Six months later they saw a lake as large as a sea. Then they were convinced that Victoria Lake was the source of the NileRiver. John Speke had recieved most of the glory for his works on theexploration the source of the Nile. In 1860 James Speke and James Grant hadgone for further research of the Nile.
On this Expedition Speke reported ofhow the kingdoms along the Nile. Speke had said “I saw that old father Nilewithout any doubt rises in the Victoria Lake , and as I foretold, that theNile is the great source of the holy river which cradled the firstexfounder [moses] of our religious belief”.
