A man of many roles, Yuly Shokalsky was an oceanographer, a geographer and a famous cartographer. A Russian by birth, Yuly Shokalsky completed his graduation from the Naval Academy and joined the Imperial Russian Army. He also worked as a professor in the Nicholas Naval Academy for a long time.
During his career in Navy, Yuly Shokalsky concentrated on meteorology and oceanography that helped him immensely as a cartographer. He was the founder of the Cartography Department of Leningrad State University. The lectures of Yuly Shokalsky were compiled in one book and published in 1917. The book came to be known as Oceanography that focused on the relation between the branches of hydrology and meteorology.
Yuly Shokalsky’s excellent works on map making was recognized by the Geographical Society, USSR and he was rewarded with honorary president-ship of the Society. He passed away in 1940 at the age of 84.