Panayotis Potagos
Encyclopedia
Panayotis Potagos was a Greek
physician and explorer from Arcadian Vytina
. Potagos began his travels in 1867, visiting Iraq
, Iran
, Afghanistan
, Gobi Desert
, and India
. He arrived in Egypt in 1876, ascending the Nile River to southern Sudan and then crossed into the Congo River
basin through what is now the Central African Republic and finally reached the Uele River
in 1877. He was the first to reach Mbomu and Uele rivers from the north. He published an account of his travels, which was translated in French.
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
physician and explorer from Arcadian Vytina
Vytina
Vytina is a village and a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Gortynia, of which it is a municipal unit. The seat of the municipality was the village Vytina. Its inhabitants are known as Vytiniots. Greek...
. Potagos began his travels in 1867, visiting Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert
The Gobi is a large desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the...
, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He arrived in Egypt in 1876, ascending the Nile River to southern Sudan and then crossed into the Congo River
Congo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
basin through what is now the Central African Republic and finally reached the Uele River
Uele River
The Uele River, also spelled Welle River, is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It originates in the mountains near Lake Albert and flows west for about to join the Mbomou River at Yakoma....
in 1877. He was the first to reach Mbomu and Uele rivers from the north. He published an account of his travels, which was translated in French.