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Janko Mikić - Croatian cartographer in the service of the Henry Morton Stanley

After he explored the whole course of the Congo River during his Anglo-American expedition, Henry Morton Stanley still had a long way to go - to explore a wide area around the river. For that purpose international association for the exploration of Congo (Comité d' etudes du Haút Congo) has been established with HSM as the main explorer. Although HSM or his senior officers signed the large number of explorations and maps, in this exploration of the Congo area participated many foreign members, among whom a few Croats took prominent place. Janko Mikić is one of the Croatian explorers who worked in central Africa. In 1882 he joined the Stanley’ s expedition in Congo where he will work as explorer and cartographer till 1885. Thanks to his solid military education, skill of mapmaking and knowledge of six languages, Mikić won quick recognition as the most important Croatian cartographer in Congo. During less than four years spend in Congo together with lieutenant Van de Velde, Mikić mapped wide area between Kouilu-Niadi and the Congo River. Although, Mikić original map still considered lost, several colonial maps testify his important role of his survey around Congo. Based on this filed work, several printed maps are made on which Mikić is mentioned as one of the cartographer who surveyed Kouilu-Niadi, area in today’ s Republic of Congo.

Janko Mikić; Croatian history; exploring of Africa; cartographic sources

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