11 Facts About Gustav Nachtigal

Gustav Nachtigal is further known as the German Empire's consul-general for Tunisia and Commissioner for West Africa.

Gustav Nachtigal, the son of a Lutheran pastor, was born at Eichstedt in the Prussian province of Saxony-Anhalt.

Gustav Nachtigal travelled to Tunis in 1863, where he studied Arabic, and took part as surgeon in several expeditions into Central Africa between 1869 and 1875.

Gustav Nachtigal returned to Germany and met Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs.

Gustav Nachtigal set out in 1869 from Ottoman Tripoli and accomplished his mission after a two years' journey.

Gustav Nachtigal finally emerged from his journey through the Sahel at Khartoum in the winter of 1874, after having been given up as lost.

Gustav Nachtigal's journey, described in his Sahara and Sudan, earned him a reputation as a discoverer.

In 1888 Gustav Nachtigal's remains were exhumed and reburied in a ceremonial grave in Duala in front of the Kamerun colonial government building.

Gustav Nachtigal's works stand out because of their wealth of details and because of his unbiased views of Africans.

In contrast to most contemporary explorers, Gustav Nachtigal did not regard Africans as inferior to Europeans, as is reflected in his descriptions and choice of words.

Gustav Nachtigal had witnessed slave hunts performed by African rulers and the cruelties inflicted by them upon other Africans.