Gustav Nachtigal
Gustav Nachtigal | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 February 1834 |
| Died | 20 April 1885 (aged 51) at sea off Cape Palmas, West Africa |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation(s) | Military surgeon Commissioner for West Africa Consul-general for the German Empire |
| Known for | German explorer of Africa |
| Reichskommissar of German South West Africa | |
| In office 7 October 1884 – 20 April 1885 | |
| Monarch | Wilhelm I |
| Chancellor | Otto von Bismarck |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Paul von Hatzfeldt |
| Preceded by | Adolf Lüderitz (as Magistrat of German South West Africa) |
| Succeeded by | Heinrich Ernst Göring (as acting) |
Gustav Nachtigal (German: [ˈɡʊstaf ˈnaxtɪɡal]; born 23 February 1834 – 20 April 1885) was a German military surgeon and explorer of Central and West Africa. He is further known as the German Empire's consul-general for Tunisia and Commissioner for West Africa. His mission as commissioner resulted in Togoland and Kamerun becoming the first colonies of a German colonial empire. The Gustav-Nachtigal-Medal, awarded by the Berlin Geographical Society, is named after him.