John Lander
John Lander (born December 29, 1806 in Truro , Cornwall , † November 6, 1839 in London ) was an English explorer of Africa .
Lander, who had learned the trade of printing , was the younger brother of the African explorer Richard Lemon Lander . He accompanied this from 1830-1831 on his second expedition to West Africa , which should complete Hugh Clapperton's research and clarify the course of the Niger .
On March 22, 1830, they landed in Badagry , Nigeria , and followed the Niger from Bussa to the Gulf of Guinea , then traveled 160 km inland following the river and finally explored the Benue and the Niger Delta . The course of the Niger was finally discovered and the millennia-old myths that had formed about the crescent shape of the river put an end to it. In 1831 the travelers returned to England. The two brothers were invited to an audience at Windsor Castle by the British King William IV, and a large memorial column was erected in their honor in Truro.
Unlike his brother Richard, John Lander never returned to Africa. He took a job at customs and died in 1839 of an infection that he contracted during the expedition to Niger.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lander, John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English explorer of Africa |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 29, 1806 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Truro , Cornwall |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 6, 1839 |
| Place of death | London |