SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF THE ARAL SEA AND ITS COASTLINE BETWEEN 1848-1849

The article deals with the scientific study of the Aral Sea, which began in the mid-XIX-th century during the strengthening of the Russian Empire in the Central Asian region. Based on archival materials and scientific articles, the course and results of expeditions conducted by A.I. Butakov are described. The article reveals the details of the study of the Aral Sea, as well as the coast of the Aral Sea in 1848-1849. The author pays much attention to the discovery of new islands in the Aral Sea, as well as the process of scientific observations and surveys made from the sea. It is shown that the Aral Sea and its coast remained unstudied for a long time because of its remoteness and inaccessibility.