Przhevalsky, Nikolai Mikhailovich [key], 1839–88, Russian geographer and explorer in central and E Asia. He made five major expeditions—one to the Ussuri area in the Russian Far East (1867–68) and four to Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet (1870–85). Przhevalsky is credited with the Russian discovery of Lop Nur and the Altun (Altyn Tagh) range on his trip in 1876–77. He studied the orography, climate, and flora and fauna (discovering the wild horse named after him) of these regions. He wrote Mongolia, and the Tangut Country (tr. 1876) and From Kulja, Across the Tian Shan to Lob-Nor (tr. 1879).
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