American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the goals and
promoting the programs of the Alexander
von Humboldt Foundation, which encourages international contacts
and intellectual collaboration among scholars of all nationalities.
The eminent German explorer and scientist, Alexander von Humboldt,
visited the United States in 1804, at the end of his five-year research
expedition and voyage of discovery through Latin America. He met
with Thomas Jefferson in Washington, DC, and they discussed a broad
range of topics, including their mutual interest in paleontology,
the geography and economy of New Spain (which overlapped with the
Louisiana Purchase), and possibly even the prospects for a canal
between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Humboldt carried on a steady
correspondence with Jefferson until the latter’s death two
decades later. He retained an active interest in the new republic
until his own death in 1859.
In collaboration with the Humboldt Foundation, American Friends
seeks to maintain the spirited intellectual exchange between Germans
and Americans that Humboldt and Jefferson shared.
The logo of American Friends is based upon Humboldt's scientific representation of the mountain Chimborazo in Ecuador, a volcanic peak that Humboldt climbed during his explorations in Latin America. His observations of vegetation on the mountains led to his innovation of using isometric lines to represent the geography of plants at different elevations.
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