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How the maps of the world changed as explorers returned with new information.
Imagine trying to draw a map of your entire neighborhood, but you are only allowed to stay on your own front porch. How many things would you get wrong? That is exactly the challenge explorers and map-makers faced hundreds of years ago!
In the early , people in Europe thought the world was much smaller than it actually is. They only knew about three main continents: Europe, Africa, and Asia. They called this the 'Old World.' Because no one had sailed across the Atlantic Ocean yet, maps from this time did not show North or South America at all! Cartographers, or map-makers, often filled the empty spaces on their maps with drawings of sea monsters or giant whirlpools because they didn't know what was actually there.
Quick Check
Which three continents were the only ones shown on European maps before the 1490s?
Answer
Europe, Africa, and Asia.
When explorers like Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci sailed west, they realized there was a massive landmass they hadn't known about. This was the 'New World.' As more explorers returned, they brought back logs (written records) and sketches of the coastlines. Cartographers had to act like puzzle-solvers, taking these messy notes and turning them into new, updated maps. By the year , the name 'America' appeared on a world map for the very first time!
How a map changed in three simple steps: 1. An explorer sails to a new bay and measures the distance using a compass. 2. The explorer draws a rough sketch of the coastline in their notebook. 3. A cartographer in Europe copies that sketch onto a large copper plate to print new maps for everyone to see.
Quick Check
Why did maps start to include the Americas after the year 1500?
Answer
Because explorers sailed across the Atlantic and brought back new information about the land they found.
By the , maps looked much more like the ones we use today. Explorers had traveled around the southern tip of South America and explored the icy waters of the north. Maps became more accurate, meaning they were closer to the truth. However, some parts were still missing! For example, many maps from the still didn't show the continent of Australia or the frozen land of Antarctica because explorers hadn't spent much time there yet.
If you looked at a map from and a map from side-by-side: 1. The map would look like a circle with only three landmasses. 2. The map would show the Atlantic Ocean as a bridge between Europe and the Americas. 3. The map would have much more 'wiggly' and detailed coastlines compared to the smooth, guessed lines of the older map.
What is a 'cartographer'?
Why were the Americas missing from maps in the year ?
Maps from the were exactly the same as the maps we use in school today.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to explain to a friend why a map from the year would look 'empty' compared to a map from today.
Practice Activity
Draw a 'Mystery Map' of a room in your house, but leave out one major piece of furniture. Ask someone to 'explore' the room and tell you what you need to add to make the map accurate!