Ortelius' book of maps, first published in 1570, is considered the first modern world atlas. It was the first time that a set of maps, contemporary to the date of publication, was designed, drawn, and engraved with the intention of publishing them in a bound volume. Ortelius did not refer to his publication as an "atlas," as we know it today. Rather he entitled it "Theater of the World" implying not only that the entire known world could be viewed in this one book, but that the Earth was a stage on which human actions unfolded. Although most of the maps in this book pertain to European countries and provinces, it can be considered a world atlas because it also includes a map of the world (displayed here), as well as one map for each of the four continents. This world map was based on a large 21-sheet world map published by Ortelius' colleague, Gerard Mercator the year before. It displayed almost a century of European exploration in the Americas delineating relatively accurate coast lines in the Equatorial areas, but with greatly distorted shapes in southern South America and northern and western North America. Interestingly, the map prematurely showed a southern polar continent since the southern oceans had not yet been explored. The projected southern continent was based on the reports of Magellan sighting Terra del Fuego when he rounded the tip of South America and the accounts of early Dutch discoveries along the Australian coast. While the first edition of Ortelius' Theatrum Orbis Terrarum was published in Latin in 1570, this map book was subsequently issued in 33 editions over the next 41 years. It was also translated into six other languages -- German, Dutch, French, Spanish, Italian, and English. The success of this first "atlas" publication marked the beginning of the golden age of Flemish and Dutch cartography with cartographers from the Low Countries dominating the map trade until the end of the 17th century.
Copied between 1909 and 1910 from the original 1688 ms. in the Archives du dépôt des cartes et plans de la marine. Pen-and-ink and watercolor. In margin: Bibliotheque du Depot des cartes et plans de la Marina, Paris, Atlas 4040B, piece n. 3. Includes indexed inset of view "Quebec comme il se voit du cóté de l'est." Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image.
Everything about the design of this elaborately decorated world map glorifies the late-19th-century British Empire. Cartographically it used a Mercator projection centered on the Greenwich Prime Meridian, placing Great Britain just above the map's central focal point. The Greenwich Prime Meridian (near London) was adopted as the international standard in October 1884. The British Isles, as well as all of the British colonies spreading out to the east and the west, were highlighted with red, while other geographical areas were left blank with only a minimum number of place names. In addition, an inset box was placed near each of the major colonies, listing statistics about geographical area, population, and trade. The words "Freedom, Fraternity, Federation," suggesting a peaceful co-existence within the British Empire, were prominently placed along the map's top margin, but the remainder of the map's illustrations imply "colonialism." At the bottom center Britannia is seated on top of the world ruling over her subjects, represented by a variety of animals and costumed figures. India, quickly identified by an elephant and a tiger, appears in the lower left corner, while Australia, including a kangaroo and a sheep, is shown in the lower right. Using the Mercator projection in constructing this thematic map may have not been the most appropriate choice because it greatly exaggerates the size of Canada. However, since this projection is best used for navigational purposes, it was a reasonable choice. Considering the British Empire thrived on ocean-going transportation, the use of this projection would have provided a familiar image for the British public.
(Composite of) A map of the Mediterranean Sea with the adjacent regions and seas in Europe, Asia and Africa. By William Faden, Geographer to the King. London, printed for Wm. Faden, Charing Cross, March 1st, 1785.