Ivan Moskvitin
Encyclopedia
Ivan Yuryevich Moskvitin (? - after 1647) was a Russia
n explorer, presumably a native of Moscow
, who led a Russian reconnaissance party to the Pacific Ocean
, becoming the first Russian to reach the Sea of Okhotsk
.
First attested in 1626 as residing among the Cossacks in Tomsk
, Moskvitin accompanied their ataman
Dmitry Kopylov to Yakutsk
. On 28 July 1639 Kopylov founded a small fort on the Aldan River
and dispatched Moskvitin in command of 20 Tomsk Cossacks and 29 Krasnoyarsk
Cossacks to look for silver ore further to the east.
Moskvitin's expedition sailed downstream before reaching the Pacific in mid-September. Moskvitin's Cossacks built a winter camp on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk at the Ulya River
and learned from the indigenous population about the proximity of the Amur River. In April 1640 they apparently sailed to the mouth of the Amur River and spotted the Shantar Islands
on their way back.
In 1645, Moskvitin reported his discoveries to Prince Shcherbatov, the Muscovite voivode in Tomsk. A year later he brought news about the eastern sea to Moscow. Based on his account, the first Russian map of the Far East was drawn in March 1642.
on 30 July 2007.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n explorer, presumably a native of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, who led a Russian reconnaissance party to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, becoming the first Russian to reach the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
.
First attested in 1626 as residing among the Cossacks in Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
, Moskvitin accompanied their ataman
Ataman
Ataman was a commander title of the Ukrainian People's Army, Cossack, and haidamak leaders, who were in essence the Cossacks...
Dmitry Kopylov to Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
. On 28 July 1639 Kopylov founded a small fort on the Aldan River
Aldan River
The Aldan River is the second-longest tributary of the Lena River in the Sakha Republic in eastern Siberia. The river is 2,273 km long, of which around 1,600 km is navigable. It was part of the River Route to Okhotsk...
and dispatched Moskvitin in command of 20 Tomsk Cossacks and 29 Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk is a city and the administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. It is the third largest city in Siberia, with the population of 973,891. Krasnoyarsk is an important junction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and one of Russia's largest producers of...
Cossacks to look for silver ore further to the east.
Moskvitin's expedition sailed downstream before reaching the Pacific in mid-September. Moskvitin's Cossacks built a winter camp on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk at the Ulya River
Ulya River
Ulya River is a river in northern Khabarovsk Krai in Russia. The length of the river is 325 km, the area of its drainage basin is 15,500 km². The Ulya originates in the Dzhugdzhur Mountains, flows northeast parallel to the coast and turns east to reach the Sea of Okhotsk about 100km southwest of...
and learned from the indigenous population about the proximity of the Amur River. In April 1640 they apparently sailed to the mouth of the Amur River and spotted the Shantar Islands
Shantar Islands
The Shantar Islands are a group of fifteen islands that lie in Uda Bay, in the southwestern zone of the Sea of Okhotsk. These islands are located close to the shores of the Siberian mainland...
on their way back.
In 1645, Moskvitin reported his discoveries to Prince Shcherbatov, the Muscovite voivode in Tomsk. A year later he brought news about the eastern sea to Moscow. Based on his account, the first Russian map of the Far East was drawn in March 1642.
General References
This article is based on a translation of the equivalent article of the Russian WikipediaRussian Wikipedia
The Russian Wikipedia is the Russian language edition of Wikipedia. It has over articles. It was founded on 20 May 2001. By May 2008 it became the 10th largest Wikipedia by size and in February 2011 it ranked 8th. It surpassed 750,000 articles in August 2011...
on 30 July 2007.