This week's historical basis map is Oronce Fine's 'Modern in addition to Complete Map of the Entire World'. published inward 1531. It is the earliest known map on which the cite 'Terra australis' appears. You tin stance the map inward exceptional on Mappae Mundi, my collection of vintage basis maps (to stance Fine's map but click on the 1531 button).
Terra Australis (Latin for South Land) was a hypothetical southern continent which had been believed to be past times but about from at to the lowest degree the fifth century onward. The being of Terra Australis was supposed on the thought that all the state inward the Northern Hemisphere should hold out balanced past times state inward the south. It is believed that Oronce Fine based his map of Terra australis on a 1523 globe past times Johannes Schöner (now lost). The kind in addition to outline of Terra australis on Fine's map is presumably completely imaginary.
Under the map label 'Terra australis' are the Latin words 'center inventa sed nondum plene cognita' (recently discovered but non yet fully known). Antarctica is nonetheless labelled 'Terra Australis Incognita' (Southern Land Unknown) on the basis maps of Gerardus Mercator (1606), Pierre Mariette (1642) in addition to Joan Blaeu (1664) - all of which tin besides hold out viewed on Mappae Mundi.
The interactive version of Oronce Fine's 'Modern in addition to Complete Map of the Entire World' used inward Mappae Mundi has been retrieved from the Library of Congress.
