born Nov. 19, 1770, Hagudi, 【now Rapla】, Estonia

died Aug. 24, 1846, Revel 【now Tallinn】

naval officer who commanded the first Russian expedition to explore the Pacific Ocean and circumnavigate the Earth (1803–06). Transporting a diplomatic mission bound for Japan and goods for delivery to the Kamchatka Peninsula of eastern Siberia, Krusenstern left Russia, rounded Cape Horn, and, crossing the Pacific, visited the Marquesas Islands. After stopping at Kamchatka, he visited Sakhalin, where he encountered the Mongols, but not the native Ainu people. After a stop at Canton, Krusenstern made his way through Sunda Strait, circled the Cape of Good Hope, and returned to Russia. His writings include Voyage Round the World . . . , 2 vol. (1813).