Schomburgk, Robert Hermann
Schomburgk, Robert Hermann
Born June 5, 1804, in Freyburg an der Unstrut; died Mar. 11,1865 in Schöneberg, near Berlin. German explorer in the service of Great Britain.
From 1835 to 1839 and from 1840 to 1844, Schomburgk explored British Guiana (now the Republic of Guyana) and adjacent territories with his brother Richard, a botanist. He mapped the basin of the Essequibo River, discovered the Pakaraima and Roraima mountains, and explored the upper course of the Rio Branco and the upper course and delta of the Orinoco River. In 1860, Schomburgk traveled to Thailand, where he assembled rich zoological and botanical collections.