VAREN] (1622-165o), German geographer, was born at Hitzacker on the Elbe, in the Liineburg district of Hanover. Varenius studied medi cine at Konigsberg and Leyden universities intending to practise at Amsterdam. But the recent discoveries of Tasman, Schouten and other Dutch navigators, and his friendship for Blaeu and other geographers, attracted Varenius to geography. He died in 165o.
In 1649 he published, through L. Elzevir of Amsterdam, his Descriptio Regni Japoniae which included a Latin translation of part of Jodocus Schouten's account of Siam (Appendix de re ligione Siamensium, ex Descriptione Belgica lodoci Schoutenii), and chapters on the religions of various peoples. In 165o ap peared, also through Elzevir, his best-known work, Geograpizia Generalis, in which he endeavoured to lay down the general prin ciples of the subject on a wide scientific basis. The work is divided into—(I) absolute geography, (2) relative geography and (3) comparative geography. The first investigates mathematical facts relating to the earth as a whole, its figure, dimensions, motions, their measurement, etc. The second part considers the earth as affected by the sun and stars, climates, seasons, the difference of apparent time at different places, variations in the length of the day, etc. The third part treats briefly of the actual divisions of
the surface of the earth, their relative positions, globe and map construction, longitude, navigation, etc.
Varenius, with the materials at his command, dealt with the subject in a truly philosophic spirit ; and his work long held its position as the best treatise in existence on scientific and comparative geography. The work went through many editions. Sir Isaac Newton introduced several important improvements into the Cambridge edition of 1672; in 1715 Dr. Jurin issued another Cambridge edition with a valuable appendix; in 1733 the whole work was translated into English by Dugdale ; and in 1736 Dugdale's second edition was revised by Shaw. In 1716 an Italian edition appeared at Naples; in 175o a Dutch translation followed; and in 1755 a French version, from Shaw's edition, came out at Paris.
See Breusing, "Lebensnachrichten von Bernhard Varenius" (Geogr. Mittheil., 188o) ; H. Blink's paper on Varenius in Tijdschr. van het Nederl. Aandrijksk. Genotschap (1887), ser. ii. pt. 3 ; and F. Ratzel's article "Bernhard Varenius," in Allgemeine Deutsche Biographic, vol. xxxix. (Leipzig, 1895).