Russia joined the coloniser's club in 1741 when its Great Northern Expedition discovered Alaska. It remains the most grisly exploration in maritime history.
IN POPULAR imagination, colonialism is usually visualised and associated with the five western European seafaring nations—Britain, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Portugal. The others, Sweden, Norway and Denmark are footnotes in colonial history. Italy, Germany and the US too were colonisers, but they entered the game very late.
One country which is often overlooked in this regard is Russia, the world’s largest country by land area, stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. While reading Russian children’s books as a child, I used to often wonder: why is Russia so big? Then too, if it is one country, why are there so many ethnicities—from the Karelians near the Finnish border to the Chukchis near Alaska.
Island of the Blue Foxes answers some of these questions. Written by Stephen R Bown, the book is a riveting account of two expeditions undertaken by Vitus Jonassen Bering, a Dane employed by the Russian Empire, which was then ruled by Tsar Peter.
Peter’s reign was revolutionary for he changed a “barbaric backwater” Russia to a society on par with its western neighbours. During his dying days, Peter had become obsessed with another project—he wanted Russia to take a dive into colonial exploration. He also had a region in mind where this could be done—the Russian Far East.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 16, 2018-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 16, 2018-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara