MAP OF THE WORLD

An ornate oval world map (Mappa Mundi) set within a rectangular frame. The corners of the frame contain swirling clouds. The map title appears in a prominent scroll at the top. The continents of America, Europe, Africa, and Asia appear alongside a massive, hypothetical southern continent. The oceans contain illustrations of sixteenth-century sailing vessels and mythical sea monsters. A coordinate grid for latitude and longitude sits over the map. This map is characteristic of the work of Abraham Ortelius, particularly from his atlas Theatrum Orbis Terrarum.

AMERICA, OR NEW INDIA. Discovered in the year 1492 by Christopher Columbus in the name of the King of Castile.

ARCTIC CIRCLE

TROPIC OF CANCER

EQUATORIAL CIRCLE

SEA OF THE SOUTH

TROPIC OF CAPRICORN

THE PACIFIC SEA

Some call this Southern continent the Magellanic region, named after its discoverer.

ANTARCTIC CIRCLE

Region of Parrots, so named by the Portuguese because of the incredible size of these birds in that place.

It is clear from the travel writings of Marco Polo of Venice and Ludovico de Varthema that there are vast regions here.

WHAT CAN SEEM GREAT IN HUMAN AFFAIRS TO HIM WHO KNOWS THE WHOLE OF ETERNITY AND THE MAGNITUDE OF THE ENTIRE WORLD? CICERO