Norwegian Maritime Explorers and Expeditions Over the Past Thousand Years

Download or read book Norwegian Maritime Explorers and Expeditions Over the Past Thousand Years written by Øystein Johansen and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Norwegian maritime explorers and expeditions take you on the greatest journeys of discovery over a thousand years. Throughout Norwegian history, the sea has been the most important highway used by Norwegians in their travels along our almost 2000-kilometre-long coast or to more distant destinations. Some explorers set off in search of new territories for commercial reasons, like Viking Ottar around the year 890 A.D. and Leif Eiriksson in 999 A.D., Jens Munk in 1619 or Carl Anton Larsen and Otto Sverdrup in the twentieth century. Others, like Fridtjof Nansen and Road Amundsen, had a burning desire to explore new countries and realize personal ambitions, or, like Thor Heyerdahl, they have wanted to prove a theory about ancient vessels and their ability to cross oceans. All these explorers have one key characteristic in common: they look upon the sea as a natural element to be mastered, but not conquered. They conducted their expeditions on nature's own terms, in spite of the risks involved. The chapters of this book tell stories of daring courage, stubborn endurance and scientific curiosity, and the drama and tension derive not only from the explorers' struggle with the forces of nature but also from the outstanding personalities of the men who made these journeys..." -- Publisher's description