As the discoverer of new geographical paths, Nikolai Spafariy, on behalf of the Russian government, traveled to Siberia and China, and although he did not successfully complete the diplomatic mission, he collected interesting historical, economic and ethnographic material and made an invaluable contribution to Russian and world geographical science. The most fruitful period of N. Spafaria's activity begins in 1671, when he arrived in Moscow, and until his death, in 1708.