Rare copy of an early America map found in Germany
A rare copy of a 16th Century map that includes the American continent discovered among the pages of a 19th Century book in Germany.
Monday, July 9 2012
Map of America.- A rare copy of a 16th Century map has been recently discovered by German researchers who believe that the map is one of the first documents to name the then recently discovered American continent.
The map in question is believed to belong to cartographer Martin Waldseemueller and it is known as "the birth certificate of America". This is the fifth copy of the ancient document which was discovered by a team of researchers at the Munich's Ludwig Maximilian University between the pages of a 19th Century book.
Waldseemueller gave the name of America to the newly discovered continent wrongly believing that Italian explorer Americo Vespuccio had discovered the new land instead of Cristopher Columbus.
The map shows an almost unrecognisable American continent portrayed by Waldseemueller after collecting information about the first transatlantic voyages.
A much larger version is already kept in the Library of Congress in Washington DC.
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