Where does this come from, and can I check it?

A Scottish surgeon travelled inland from the Gambia in 1795 to find the river's course. The figure is taken from National Library of Scotland, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a history fact?

Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Mungo Park reached the Niger and survived captivity

A Scottish surgeon travelled inland from the Gambia in 1795 to find the river's course The African Association sent Mungo Park to settle where the Niger flowed. He trekked inland from the Gambia, was held for months by a local ruler, escaped alone, and reached the river at Ségou in July 1796. He returned home penniless but famous, and died on a second expedition in 1806. It sits in Mondo's history collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

National Library of Scotland

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

History trivia Famous People trivia

More facts like this

Zheng He commanded massive Ming Dynasty treasure fleetsSeven maritime expeditions explored the Indian Ocean between 1405 and 1433 Marco Polo documented seventeen years at the court of Kublai KhanThe Venetian merchant brought detailed accounts of Asian culture back to Europe Christopher Columbus reached the Americas in October 1492Three Spanish caravels crossed the Atlantic to land in the Bahamas The Magellan-Elcano expedition completed the first globe circumnavigationJuan Sebastian Elcano brought the Victoria home to Spain in 1522 The Lewis and Clark expedition explored the American WestThe Corps of Discovery mapped rivers and mountain passes to the Pacific in 1804 Abel Tasman sighted New Zealand in 1642The Dutch explorer sailed west from Batavia and missed the strait between two islands

Tags: niger, exploration, scotland

Mungo Park reached the Niger and survived captivity: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: A Scottish surgeon travelled inland from the Gambia in 1795 to find the river's course. The figure is taken from National Library of Scotland, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a history fact?: Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.