HUMBOLDT, FRIEDRICH HEINRICH ALEXANDER von. – Naturalist and geographer, born in Berlin on 14 September 1769, died there on 6 May 1859. The knowledge he acquired through his long journeys in Central America and Central Asia enabled him to make a significant contribution to the advancement of the various branches of the natural sciences, biogeography, physical geography, and economics. Author of a Cosmos, a physical description of the universe, with historical and bibliographical notes, etc. Along with K. Ritter, H. is considered the founder of modern geography. Although regarded as irreligious by some biographers, he seems to have had a clear belief in God, especially during the final years of his life.
BIBL.: C. L. Kneller, Il cristianesimo e i naturalisti moderni, Brescia 1906, p. 302; G. Caraci, s. V. in Encicl. Ital., XVIII, pp. 503-94; A. A. Michieli, A. H. e i suoi viaggi, Torino 1930, p. 205. Carmelo Masia