Nikolay Przhevalsky

Nikolay Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky was a Russian geographer of Polish descent, and a renowned explorer of Central and East Asia.

Although he never reached his ultimate goal, the holy city of Lhasa in Tibet, he traveled through regions then unknown to the West, such as northern Tibet, Amdo and Dzungaria. He contributed substantially to European knowledge of Central Asian geography.

He also described several species previously unknown to European science: Przewalski's horse, Przewalski's gazelle, and the wild Bactrian camel, all of which are now endangered.