The Fra Mauro map (1459) in Venice (inverted, South is normally at the top). The map depicts Asia, Africa and Europe.

The Fra Mauro map was made between 1457 and 1459 by the Venetian monk Fra Mauro. It is a circular planisphere drawn on parchment and set in a wooden frame, about 2 meters in diameter. The original world map was made by Fra Mauro and his assistant Andrea Bianco, a sailor-cartographer, under a commission by king Alfonso V of Portugal. The map was completed on April 24, 1459, and sent to Portugal, but did not survive to the present day. Fra Mauro died the next year while he was making a copy of the map for the Seignory of Venice, and the copy was completed by Andrea Bianco. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1062x1107, 1015 KB) The Fra Mauro map. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1062x1107, 1015 KB) The Fra Mauro map. ... Location within Italy Venice (Italian Venezia), the city of canals, is the capital of the region of Veneto and of the province of Venice, 45°26′ N 12°19′ E, population 271,663 (census estimate 2004-01-01). ... World map showing location of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of the continent of Eurasia, defined by subtracting the European peninsula from Eurasia. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... Events University of Freiburg founded. ... Events September 23 - Battle of Blore Heath. ... Venetian could mean of Venice of the Republic of Venice the Venetian language The Venetian, a hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada A venetian blind - a horizontally slatted window blind. ... Fra Mauro was a 15th century Italian monk and mapmaker, who in 1457 mapped the then-known Mediterranean world with surprising accuracy. ... A planisphere for a particular latitude consists of a circular star chart and an overlay, to show which stars are visible at that latitude, at a particular day and time. ... Parchment is a material for the pages of a book or codex, made from fine calf skin, sheep skin or goat skin. ... Afonso V of Portugal, the African, thirteenth king of Portugal was born in Sintra in January 15, 1432 and died in the same city in August 28, 1481. ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... Events September 23 - Battle of Blore Heath. ...

The map was discovered in the monastery of Murano, and is now located in a stairway in the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice, but is visible by entering in the Museo Correr, where it is accessible from the eastermost room upon request to the museum attendants there. A shop with boats, Murano Murano is usually described as an island in the Venetian Lagoon, although like Venice itself it is actually an archipelago of islands linked by bridges. ... Location within Italy Venice (Italian Venezia), the city of canals, is the capital of the region of Veneto and of the province of Venice, 45°26′ N 12°19′ E, population 271,663 (census estimate 2004-01-01). ...

World map

The Fra Mauro map is unusual in that its orientation is with the south at the top, one of the usual conventions of Muslim maps, in contrast with the Ptolemy map which has the north at the top. Ptolemys world map, reconstituted from Ptolemys Geographia (circa 150), indicating Sinae (China) at the extreme right, beyond the island of Trapobane (Sri Lanka, oversized) and the Aurea Chersonesus (Southeast Asian peninsula). ...

Fra Mauro was aware of the Ptolemy map, and commented that it was insufficient for many parts of the world:

"I do not think it derogatory to Ptolemy if I do not follow his Cosmografia, because, to have observed his meridians or parallels or degrees, it would be necessary in respect to the setting out of the known parts of this circumference, to leave out many provinces not mentioned by Ptolemy. But principally in latitude, that is from south to north, he has much 'terra incognita', because in his time it was unknown." (Text from Fra Mauro map)

He recognized however the extent of the East given by Ptolemy, thereby suppressing the central position that Jerusalem had held on previous maps: Claudius Ptolemaeus, given contemporary German styling, in a 16th century engraved book frontispiece Claudius Ptolemaeus (Greek: Κλαύδιος Πτολεμαῖος; c. ... Jerusalem (31°46′ N 35°14′ E; Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushalayim; Arabic: القدس al-Quds; see also names of Jerusalem) is the capital of Israel and an ancient Middle Eastern city of key importance to the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. ...

"Jerusalem is indeed the center of the inhabited world latitudinally, though longitudinally it is somewhat to the west, but since the western portion is more thickly populated by reason of Europe, therefore Jerusalem is also the center longitudinally if we regard not empty space but the density of population." (Text from Fra Mauro map)

Fra Mauro regarded the world as a sphere, although he used the convention of describing the continents surrounded by water within the shape of a disc, but had no certainty about the size of the Earth:

"Likewise I have found various opinions regarding this circumference, but it is not possible to verify them. It is said to be 22,500 or 24,000 miglia or more, or less according to various considerations and opinions, but they are not of much authenticity, since they have not been tested." (Text from Fra Mauro map)

Africa

The description of Africa is surprisingly accurate, especially in light of the fact that Portuguese explorers had not yet been beyond 12 degrees North at that date. Africa is the worlds second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ...

Fra Mauro's Africa (south is at the top).

Fra Mauro puts the following inscription by the southern tip of Africa, which he names the "Cape of Diab", describing the exploration by a ship from the East around 1420: Download high resolution version (1195x1402, 346 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1195x1402, 346 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ...

"About the year of Our Lord 1420 a ship, what is called an Indian junk (lit. "Zoncho de India"), on a crossing of the Sea of India towards the "Isle of Men and Women", was diverted beyond the "Cape of Diab" (Cape of Good Hope), through the "Green Isles" (Cabo Verde Islands), out into the "Sea of Darkness" (Atlantic Ocean) on a way west and southwest. Nothing but air and water was seen for 40 days and by their reckoning they ran 2,000 miles and fortune deserted them. When the stress of the weather had subsided they made the return to the said "Cape of Diab" in 70 days and drawing near to the shore to supply their wants the sailors saw the egg of a bird called roc, which egg is as big as an amphora." (Text from Fra Mauro map, 10-A13)

The "Indian junk" described was possibly an Arabian expedition, which would have become the source of Fra Mauro's description of the southern tip of Africa, or possibly a part of the Chinese expedition of admiral Zheng He, as suggested in the 1421 theory. The description given for the junks actually suggests a Chinese-type construction: The Junk is a Chinese sailing vessel. ... The Cape of Good Hope headland seen from the north 1888 Map of the Cape of Good Hope Triangular Postage Stamp The Cape of Good Hope is a headland in South Africa, near Cape Town, traditionally — and incorrectly — regarded as marking the turning point between the Atlantic Ocean and the... Look up Cape Verde in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Government República de Cabo Verde official government site (in Portuguese) Assembleia Nacional de Cabo Verde official parliamentary site News allAfrica. ... ROC can be: Roc is the name of a mythical bird Roč is a historic town in Croatia The Blackburn Roc was a British naval fighter-bomber aircraft of World War II Acronyms Redwall Online Community Republic of China Radius of curvature Receiver operating characteristic Rest of Canada (slang) Region... Characters for Zheng He. ... The 1421 theory of the Chinese discovery of the Americas originates from former British Royal Navy submarine commander Gavin Menzies. ...

"The ships, called junks, that navigate these seas carry four masts or more, some of which can be raised or lowered, and have 40 to 60 cabins for the merchants and only one tiller. They can navigate without a compass, because they have an astrologer, who stands on the side and, with an astrolabe in hand, gives orders to the navigator." (Text from the Fra Mauro map, 09-P25)

Fra Mauro explained that he obtained the information from "a trustworthy source", who traveleled with the expedition, possibly the Venetian explorer Niccolo Da Conti who happened to be in Calicut, India at the time the expedition left. This article is about the navigational instrument. ... An astrological chart (or horoscope) _ Y2K Chart — This particular chart is calculated for January 1, 2000 at 12:01:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time in New York City, New York, USA. (Longitude: 074W0023 - Latitude: 40N4251) Astrology (from Greek: αστρολογία = άστρον, astron, star + λόγος, logos, word) is... For the ship of Dumont dUrville, see Astrolabe A 16th century astrolabe. ... Niccolò Da Conti (also Nicolò de Conti) (1395–1469) was a Venetian merchant and explorer, born in Chioggia, who traveled to India and Southeast Asia during the early 15th century. ... Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, is the third largest city (pop. ...

Some of the islands named in the area of the southern tip of Africa bear Arabian and Indian names: Negila ("beautiful" in Sanskrit), or Mangula ("fortunate" in Arabic.). The Sanskrit language ( संस्कृता वाक्) is one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family and is not only a classical language, but also an official language of India. ... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ...

The first mention of Japan in a Western map.

The account of the roc's egg is not merely a traveler's fable; it would probably have been the egg of Aepyornis, an enormous flightless bird which still existed in Madagascar or had recently become extinct. Download high resolution version (1060x1652, 688 KB)Japan detail of the Fra Mauro map. ... Download high resolution version (1060x1652, 688 KB)Japan detail of the Fra Mauro map. ... Species Aepyornis hildebrandti Aepyornis medius Aepyornis maximus Aepyornis is an extinct genus of flightless bird. ...

Fra Mauro also comments that the account of this expedition, together with the relation by Strabo of the travels of Eudoxus of Cyzicus from Arabia to Gibraltar through the southern Ocean in Antiquity, led him to believe that the Indian Ocean was not a closed sea and that Africa could be circumnavigated by her southern end (Text from Fra Mauro map, 11,G2). This knowledge, together with the map depiction of the African continent, probably encouraged the Portuguese to intensify their effort to round the tip of Africa. Strabo (squinty) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. ... Another article treats of Eudoxus of Cnidus. ... The term the Middle East sometimes applies to the peninsula alone, but usually refers to the Arabian Peninsula plus the Levant, Mesopotamia, and Iran. ... Antiquity means ancient times, and may be used of any period before the Middle Ages. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ...

Japan

The Fra Mauro map is also the first Western map to represent the islands of Japan. A part of Japan, probably Kyushu, appears below the island of Java, with the legend "Isola de Cimpagu" (a mis-spelling of Cipangu). Kyushu region, Japan Kyūshū (九州) is the third largest island of Japan and most southerly and westerly of the four main islands. ... Map of Java Java (Indonesian: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ... For other uses, see Japan (disambiguation). ...

Origins

Fra Mauro probably relied on Arab sources, as well as, possibly Chinese sources as described by Ramusio, a contemporary who states that Fra Mauro's map is "an improved copy of the one brought from Cathay by Marco Polo". Cathay is the name that was given to northern China by Marco Polo. ... Marco Polo, after a painting in Badia, Rome Marco Polo (b. ...

Comparison between the Fra Mauro map (1457) and the Kangnido map (1402).

The Fra Mauro map displays many similarities to the Kangnido map, made in 1402 in Korea, which is based on earlier, now lost, Chinese maps. They share the same understanding of the Old World in its general structure, although the relative proportions of the countries and continents are inverted, with Europe and Africa enlarged on the Fra Mauro map, and China and especially Korea very largely represented in the Kangnido. Download high resolution version (1908x736, 432 KB)Kangnido map comparison with Fra Mauro map. ... Download high resolution version (1908x736, 432 KB)Kangnido map comparison with Fra Mauro map. ... The Kangnido map (Integrated Historical Map of Countries and Cities), was made in Korea from Chinese source material in 1402, by Gim Sa-hyeong (김사형:金士衡), Li Mu (이무:李茂) and Li Hoi (이회). ... The Kangnido map (Integrated Historical Map of Countries and Cities), was made in Korea from Chinese source material in 1402, by Gim Sa-hyeong (김사형:金士衡), Li Mu (이무:李茂) and Li Hoi (이회). ... Korea (한국) is a formerly unified country, situated on the Korean Peninsula in northern East Asia, bordering on China to the west and Russia to the north. ...

Both maps were made before the European voyages of exploration and the rounding of the Cape of Good Hope in 1488 by the Europeans. It has been suggested that the geographical knowledge contained in the Kangnido map was created by Muslim, Indian or Chinese sailors (expedition of the Chinese Admiral Zheng He), and then transmitted to the West in some way another, possibly through Indian or Muslim merchants, or through 15th century travelers to the East such as the Venetian Niccolo Da Conti. The so-called Age of Exploration was a period from the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century, during which European ships were traveled around the world to search for new trading routes and partners to feed burgeoning capitalism in Europe. ... The Cape of Good Hope headland seen from the north 1888 Map of the Cape of Good Hope Triangular Postage Stamp The Cape of Good Hope is a headland in South Africa, near Cape Town, traditionally — and incorrectly — regarded as marking the turning point between the Atlantic Ocean and the... Characters for Zheng He. ... Niccolò Da Conti (also Nicolò de Conti) (1395–1469) was a Venetian merchant and explorer, born in Chioggia, who traveled to India and Southeast Asia during the early 15th century. ...

Other areas

Part of China Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Spain, Portugal and Northern Africa Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Europe Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

The Middle-East Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

External links

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Fra Mauro map

• Monograph on Fra Mauro's map
• Compilation of the text on Fra Mauro's map (Italian).