Points of View
When we imagine what a world map looks like, chances are we think of the Mercator Projection.
Invented by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1659, the Mercator Projection shows all of the continents in one view. The Americas usually appear on the left, Europe and Africa in the middle, Asia and Australia on the right, and Antarctica at the bottom.
Not all world maps use the Mercator Projection. The maps shown here, for instance, depict polar projections, a view we do not often see given the limited visibility of nonpolar landmasses. Yet the polar regions greatly interested explorers and mapmakers from the early modern period onward for scientific as well as economic reasons. Looking at polar maps can offer insight into the ongoing understanding of the world and its landmasses.
Septentrionalium Terrarum Descripto [Northern Description of the World]
Gerhard Mercator, creator1606-1636 MSM 1---0210The North Pole is depicted here, as it was understood in the early 17th century. The polar region was of particular interest to explorers seeking a shorter passage to India. It was believed that going north would spare navigators the long, dangerous voyage of crossing the Indian Ocean.
Nieuw Aerdsch Pleyn [New Map of the Earth]
Cornelis Danckerts, creator1703MSM 1---0399This Dutch polar map is presented in a circular form on the equidistant azimuthal projection. The latitudes appear as equidistant concentric circles (meaning the circles share the same center, the larger circles often completely surrounding the smaller ones). This polar projection combines different allegorical motifs. Ancient Greek deities occupy the top portion of the map, while the Four Continents appear along the bottom.
Nouvelle Carte de la Moitie Meridionale du Globe Terrestre [New Map of the Southern Half of the Globe]
Nicolas van Ewyk, creator1752 MSM 1---0127 and MSM 1---0128Map pair showing polar projections of the northern and southern hemispheres. Sea coasts and regional borders are outlined in hand coloring. The polar and tropic regions are marked in red. The Equator acts as the border for each map. Surrounding both maps, the corners of the sheets contain annotations in French and Dutch.
The northern hemisphere, with much of the northwest coast of North America still absent,as it had not been fully mapped. California is shown correctly as a peninsula. Hudson Bay is fully mapped, though Baffin's Bay still has missing coastlines.
The southern hemisphere lacks a depiction of Antarctica, aside from a small portion of coast reportedly discovered by Sir Francis Drake. Additionally, only partial coastlines are seen for New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.
Novus Planiglobii Terrestris Per Utrumque Polum Conspectus [New View of the Planar Projection of the Earth Through (by way of) Both Poles]
Gerard Valck, creator 1709 MSM 1---0013While many of the illustrated maps in The Mariners’ Museum Collection highlight classical mythology, the illustrations on this example depict Biblical stories. It shows the Creation of Eve and the Expulsion from Paradise, both narrated in the Book of Genesis. The top of the map shows the celestial bodies, including the sun, moon, and stars.
