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Which regions of the Andes did Alexander von Humboldt explore?
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Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt, oil on canvas by Julius Schrader, 1859; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.
During his expedition to South America, Alexander von Humboldt conducted an extensive exploration of the Andes. His journey through the Andean Highlands spanned from Bogotá, Colombia, to Trujillo, Peru, following a route that largely corresponds to the modern Pan-American Highway.1
Key aspects of his Andean exploration included:
- Quito, Ecuador: Humboldt climbed various peaks in the vicinity of Quito, including several volcanoes.1
- Chimborazo: In 1802, he famously attempted to scale Chimborazo. He reached an altitude of 19,286 feet (5,878 meters), setting a world mountaineering record that stood for nearly 30 years.21
- Scientific Observations: While navigating these rugged terrains, he identified the cause of mountain sickness as a lack of oxygen in rarefied air and studied the Peru Current off the western coast of South America.1