Summary
Highlights
Early 16th-century maps, like a tiny copper globe, often marked uncharted territories with phrases like "Here be dragons." This sentiment was common among medieval European mapmakers, who used dragons and sea monsters to fill 'terra incognita' or blank spots.
For thousands of years, people created two types of maps: functional maps for trade routes, settlements, and navigation, and cosmographies, which illustrated Earth's position in the cosmos, often including constellations, gods, and mythical locations.
In medieval Europe, 'mappae mundi' became popular. Many of these leaned towards cosmographies, featuring mythical elements like the Garden of Eden or dragons. They typically showed the world's land as a T-shaped mass surrounded by an ocean ring.
Islamic mapmakers also created world maps, but emphasized geographic details over fantastical elements. Ibn Hawqal's travels informed one of the earliest and most accurate maps. In 1154, Al-Idrisi created the "Tabula Rogeriana," a book of maps based on his travels and interviews, which correctly depicted the world as a flattened sphere.
In 1389, China produced the "Da Ming Hunyi Tu," a massive silk map. Despite never visiting Africa, the mapmakers were able to create a surprisingly accurate portrayal of sub-Saharan Africa based on traders' accounts.
From the 15th century, European cartographers expanded their world maps as explorers traveled, but not without missteps. Martin Waldseemuller's 1507 map showed the Americas as a thin sliver of land. Later, Spanish maps incorrectly depicted California as an island for over a century.
Gerardus Mercator, famous for his world map, also mapped the unseen North Pole in 1595. He speculated it featured the "Rupes Nigra," a giant magnetic rock surrounded by a whirlpool, explaining why compasses point north. Even as Europeans gained knowledge, they maintained the idea of mythical beasts in uncharted territories, with Australia even being lumped with Utopia and Fairyland as late as 1657.