He is most known for his exploration of the Russian Far East and Siberia,[1] particularly the Ussuri and Amur River valleys.

[2] Ethnically Maack was a Baltic German from Estonia;[3] however, the Russian Empire controlled this country during his lifetime.

[4] Maack was born in Kuressaare, Estonia and studied natural sciences at the University of St. Petersburg.

He also participated in the Russian Geographical Society's first expedition (1853–55) to describe the orography, geology and population of the Vilyuy and Chona River basins.

[6] Maack is most famous for collecting previously unknown species and sending specimens back for scientific descriptions and naming.