In 1633, Pascal Roiz created the nautical chart titled by cataloger, A Portolan Chart of the Atlantic Ocean and Adjacent Continents. Pascoal Roiz was a Portuguese cartographer and portolan maker with origins in Lisbon and who was active during the 17th century. This historical portolan chart shows the Atlantic Ocean, southeast Pacific Ocean, the southwest […]

Forget about a tropical retreat for a moment and think of a panoramic valley, dotted with cows, vineyards, iconic lighthouses, whale watching in the distance, and lush forest. San Juan Island is one of four islands, and the second-largest of the San Juan Archipelago, located in the northwest region of the contiguous United States between the […]

This mid-17th century map, Africae Nova Tabula, created by the Dutch cartographer Jodocus Hondius (1563-1612), is a beautiful decorative map of the continent of Africa, and was published in 1640 in Paris by Chez Iean Boisseau. Jodocus Hondius established himself as one of the most prominent geographers and engravers during the 17th century. Amsterdam was […]

Ireland has long been known for being the Emerald Isle… and drinking. It seems that the two go hand in hand. As it turns out, things were not that much different in 1906. This map shows the basic layout and important cities of Ireland at the time. As it happens, there was quite a bit […]

An early map of Africa, Totius Africæ Accuratissima Tabula, is believed to have been published in Amsterdam in 1688 and is the work of Fredrik de Wit. Who was Fredrik de Wit? Born in Gouda, Netherlands, Wit was a Dutch cartographer, who was active during the second half of the 17th and the early 18th […]

The Lake Norman region supports a diverse flora and fauna. Aquatic plants include alligatorweed, coon’s tail, waterweed, while common species of trees comprises bald cypress, water tupelo, red maple, sweetgum, water ash and water oak. An abundance of fish can be found in Lake Norman, including carp, spotted sucker, redbreast sunfish, silver redhorse, spottail shiner, […]

Arnoldo di Arnoldi’s map, simply titled Africa was published in Siena, Italy in 1600 by Matteo Florimi, an Italian print seller, book dealer and publisher. Arnoldi was a Flemish artist and cartographer, who, at the end of the 16th century, carried on his work in Bologna and Siena. He was the leading engraver and mapmaker […]