Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952)
Sven Hedin (1865–1952) was a Swedish explorer and writer, famous for his journeys through Central Asia including China from 1893 to 1935. His discoveries filled in some of the last blank spots on the world map.
The European Age of Discovery is usually held to have ended with the 17th century, as most of the world's oceans and coastlines had been charted. However, in the late 19th century, scholars of the Western world had yet to chart the inland of some continents, including Asia.
Hedin famously found the sources of the Indus and Brahmaputra rivers, the periodic lake Lop Nur, as well as many stretches of the Great Wall of China.
While Sven Hedin's voyages were celebrated and provided knowledges of Asian cultures, his political involvements were infamous. In the arms race before World War I, Hedin supported the militarist Swedish King Gustav V's attempt to grab power from parliament. He also lent his support to the German Empire as well as Nazi Germany: though he turned critical in response to the Holocaust.