William Chandless
Encyclopedia
William Chandless was a British
explorer of the Amazon Basin
in the 1860s. During this time he lived in Manaus
(now the capital of Brazil
's Amazonas state) from where he explored many of the Amazon River
's southern tributaries
and contacted various indigenous tribes
. Arawá, the extinct language after which the Arauan language group
is named, is only known from a short list of words he collected in 1867.
Chandless sent reports of his expeditions to the Royal Geographical Society
, which published them in its journal. In 1866, following his survey of the Purus River, the Society awarded him its Patron's Medal.
Recently, in 2003, a new national park on Brazil's border with Peru
, Chandless State Park, was named in his honour http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2003/2003-09-10-03.asp. A river running through the area has also been named after him.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
explorer of the Amazon Basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
in the 1860s. During this time he lived in Manaus
Manaus
Manaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas. It is situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the most populous city of Amazonas, according to the statistics of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and is a popular ecotourist destination....
(now the capital of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
's Amazonas state) from where he explored many of the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
's southern tributaries
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
and contacted various indigenous tribes
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
. Arawá, the extinct language after which the Arauan language group
Arauan languages
Arawan is a family of languages spoken in western Brazil and Peru.-Family division:Arauan consists of 8 or 9 languages:...
is named, is only known from a short list of words he collected in 1867.
Chandless sent reports of his expeditions to the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
, which published them in its journal. In 1866, following his survey of the Purus River, the Society awarded him its Patron's Medal.
Recently, in 2003, a new national park on Brazil's border with Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Chandless State Park, was named in his honour http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2003/2003-09-10-03.asp. A river running through the area has also been named after him.