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| Sebastian Münster, one of the best known cartographers of the 16th century, issued this map in editions of his Cosmographia and Geographia from 1550. It is an extremely attractive example of early German wood engraving with cloud-filled borders containing wind heads and an array of sea monsters. Drawn on an oval projection, it includes a primitive depiction of the American continent which includes one of the most vivid renditions of the 'Sea of Verrazzano', a body of water dividing the North American continent almost in half. This misconception arose during the 1524 voyage of Gerolamo Verrazzano along the eastern coast of North America. On passing the outer banks of the Carolinas, Verrazzano looked across the banks to the waters of Pamlico Sound and, unaware of the breadth of the newly discovered continent, assumed that he was looking at the Pacific Ocean. Another geographical point of interest is the almost complete lack of any knowledge of Southeast Asia and the East Indian islands despite the fact that the Portuguese had been busy in the region for thirty years. Conversely, the important African trading island of Zanzibar is given huge prominence, although its positioning is wholly inaccurate (being shown far to the south east of Madagascar). |
