Date:

1513

Title:

Terra Nove

Cartographer:

Waldseemüller, Martin (1470-1521)

Summary:

This map of the new land was published in the Ptolemeus Atlas Geographiae in Strasbourg in 1513. It shows Oceani Occidentalis (Atlantic Ocean), the western coasts of England, Spain and Africa with their adjacent islands. In the west it shows some of the lower Bahamas, Spagnolla (Hispanola), Isabella (Cuba), Jamiqua (Jamaica), Yucatan as two islands, the Gulf of Mexico, and the peninsula northwest of Isabella with no name on the landmass. However, there are place names along both coasts though not the same ones as on earlier maps. This peninsula is connected to the northern land mass. That is named Terra Incognita instead of America as on his 1507 map. A notation there gives credit to Columbus and the King of Castille (Spain) for the discovery of the land. Most of the place names are on the north coast of South America and in Brazil.

This map was possibly Waldseemüller's apology for not giving more credit to Columbus for discovering the new continent and he therefore left the name America (for Amerigo Vespucci) off of it.

Note:

Image scanned from a reproduction in a private collection.

Reference: DeVorsey

Coverage Time:

1500s