Richard Francis Burton

Sir Richard Francis Burton (March 19, 1821 – October 19, 1890), British consul, explorer, translator, writer and Orientalist known for his often-unprecedented exploits of travel and exploration as well as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and cultures.

Sources of the Nile

In 1856, he returned to Africa, sent by the Foreign Office under the auspices of the Royal Geographical Society to search for the unknown sources of the Nile river.

Related Topics:
1856 - Foreign Office - Royal Geographical Society - Nile river

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He was again accompanied by Speke and together they explored the lake regions of equatorial Africa.

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They found Lake Tanganyika in February 1858.

Related Topics:
Lake Tanganyika - 1858

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Burton was ill and Speke continued exploring along lines indicated by Burton, eventually found the great Lake Victoria, or Victoria Nyanza. Speke's claims to a separate discovery of Lake Victoria led to a bitter dispute, but the discovery of the lakes under Burton's direction led to further explorations by Speke and James Augustus Grant, Sir Samuel Baker, and David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley.

Related Topics:
Lake Victoria - James Augustus Grant - Samuel Baker - David Livingstone - Henry Morton Stanley

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As the 1911 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica states, Burton's reports to the Royal Geographical Society, and his book Lake Regions of Equatorial Africa (1860), are "the true parents of the multitudinous literature of 'darkest Africa'" and coupled with further explorations in East Africa led directly to British colonial domination of most of the continent.

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