Henri Anatole Coudreau (6 May 1859 Sonnac – 10 November 1899, State of

Pará Pará is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian state) ...

, Brazil) was a French professor of history and geography, explorer and geographer of

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

and the tributaries of the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

Exploration of the Amazon

At the time of the "contesté franco-brésilien" boundary dispute between colonial France and Brazil, Coudreau worked in the service of Governors of the states of Brazil, mapping the Amazon's

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

and identifying possible resources for farmers and foresters. On behalf of the State of Pará, Coudreau was charged with exploring the

Trombetas The Trombetas is a large river on the northern side of the Amazon River. Course The Trombetas is long, and is navigable by 500 ton vessels for a stretch of . The Trombetas river gives birth to very many rivers, including the Anamu river. It is ...

river, shortly after he married Octavie Coudreau. Their first expedition in 1899 ended tragically, as detailed in the book ''Voyage au Trombetas'' begun by Henri Coudreau, describing their voyage up the Trombetas tributary of the north bank of the Amazon. He was already sick and exhausted by the years spent in what he called the "green hell". Suffering from

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

l fever, he died in his wife's arms on 10 November 1899. Aided by his traveling companions, she made a coffin from the planks of the boat and prepared a burial on a promontory overlooking lake Tapagem. After Henri Coudreau's death, Octavie continued the exploration work begun by her husband for seven years. She later wrote the final chapters of the book, following the repatriation of his remains to

Angoulême Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; oc, Engoleime) is a communes of France, commune, the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Charente Departments of France, department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern Franc ...

in France.

Publications

* ''Le Pays de Ouargla'', (1881) * ''Les richesses de la Guyane française'', (1883), awarded a bronze medal at the

Internationale Koloniale en Uitvoerhandel Tentoonstelling The International Colonial and Export Exhibition (Dutch: ''Internationale Koloniale en Uitvoerhandel Tentoonstelling''; French: ''Exposition Universelle Coloniale et d'Exportation Générale'') was a colonial exhibition (a type of World's Fair) ...

* ''La France Equinoxiale'', (1887) * ''La Haute Guyane'', (1888) * ''Dix ans de Guyane'', (1891) * ''Les dialectes Indiens de Guyane'', (1892) * ''Chez nos indiens. Quatre années dans la Guyane française'', Paris, (1893)list of works and description
/ref>

References

External links

Sur les traces d'Henri Coudreau : Deux siècles d'exploration de la Guyane. 1850–1950

1859 births 1899 deaths French explorers French geographers Explorers of Amazonia French expatriates in Brazil {{explorer-stub