Philip Johan von Strahlenberg is one of the most distinguished cartographers of the world. Philip Johan von Strahlenberg was born in the year 1676 and died in 1747. He was born in Stralsund and hailed from a German background. He is originally known as Philip Johan Tabert. From the time he joined the Swedish arm force he was given the title of von Strahlenburg.
His Life and Works
Philip Johan von Strahlenberg had to struggle through out his life. He spent long years in jail since he was defeated by the Russians in the Northern War. He was exiled in Tobolsk for a long period of 10 years that was from 1711 to 1721. This exile proved a blessing in disguise for him since he learned many languages and gathered in-depth knowledge about geography and anthropology. He got involved in studying the rock paintings and writings as well. When Strahlenberg returned to his native land Stockholm he wrote some books the grates being “An Historico-Geographical Description”. Some of his major works include Russia, Great Tartary and Siberia. He created the maps of Russia for which he is well-known all over the world. He has written profusely on a wide variety of customs and traditions.
