(1804–1865), Prussian-born naturalist and surveyor of British Guiana. Born in Freiburg, Prussia, Robert Schomburgk eventually became a fervent British imperialist. He established his reputation exploring and surveying British Guiana (now Guyana) under the auspices of the Royal Geographical Society in the 1830s and 1840s. A protégé of fellow Prussian Alexander von Humboldt, Schomburgk modeled himself after his mentor. He followed Humboldt's example in identifying the village of Pirara and the nearby Lake Amucu as the site of the fabled El Dorado. Unlike Humboldt, Schomburgk actually visited these locations on his travels in South America.
From The Oxford Companion to World Exploration in Oxford Reference.
Subjects: World History.