Born June 5, 1804, Freiburg, Germany
Died 1865, Berlin, Germany

Beginning in the seventeenth century, the region on the northeast coast of South America known as Guiana was colonized by the French, the British, and the Dutch. In 1815 Great Britain was granted official possession of the settlements of Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo, which were united as British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1831. At that time the three settlements were actually thin strips of plantations along the coast, and little was known about the region’s interior. Britain wanted to further develop the area, and its Royal Geographical Society sent an expedition there in 1835 led by German-born Robert Hermann Schomburgk. The explorer and naturalist investigated the interior of British Guiana from 1835 to 1837. In 1841 he conducted further explorations that helped establish the northwestern boundary of British Guiana, guarding against future territory disputes with its neighbors.

Schomburgk was born in...