Ritter, KARL

Ritter, KARL, a geographer, was born August 7, 1779, at Quedlinburg in Prussia, was educated at Schnepfenthal under Guts Muths, studied in Halle, was in 1820 nominated professor of Geography at Berlin, became subsequently member of the Academy and Director of Studies of the Military School, and died 28th September 1859. With Ritter as the founder of general comparative geography begins a new epoch in the history of geographical science. His chief work (uncompleted) was Die Erdkunde im Verhältnisse zur Natur und Geschichte des Menschen ('Geography in its Relation to Nature and the History of Men,' 10 vols. Berlin, 1822-59). The work is divided into four parts—(1) Central Asia, Siberia, China, and India; (2) West Asia; (3) Arabia; (4) Sinai Peninsula, Palestine, and Syria. Besides this he wrote an Introduction to General Comparative Geography (1852); Europe (2 vols. 1807); and The Stupas, or the Architectural Monuments on the Indo-Bactrian Royal Road, and the Colossus of Bactrian (1838). His lectures were published in three volumes—History of Geography (1851), General Geography (1862), and Europe (1863)—by Daniel. His name is perpetuated in two geographical institutions in Berlin and Leipzig. See Life by Gage (Edin. 1867) and Kramer, Carl Ritter, ein Lebensbild (2d ed. Halle, 1875).