Map A New Description of Asia. Asiae nova descriptio

View 2 images in sequence.

About this Item

Title

  • A New Description of Asia.

Other Title

  • Asiae nova descriptio

Summary

  • The Flemish geographer and scholar Abraham Ortelius (1527-98) published the first edition of his Theatrum orbis terrarum (Theater of the world) in 1570. It contained 53 maps, each with a detailed commentary. It was the first true atlas in the modern sense: a bound book of map plates and accompanying text specifically produced to give a uniform, complete presentation. More than 7,300 copies of the atlas appeared in 31 editions between 1570 and 1612 in various languages, including French, Dutch, English, German, Italian, Latin, and Spanish. Ortelius began to produce his own maps from about 1560, and the map presented here derives from his own 1567 wall map of Asia. It is widely considered more accurate and complete than earlier maps of Asia, as it was informed by the travels of Marco Polo, in particular the account of these travels that appeared in Giovanni Battista Ramusio's Navigationi et Viaggi (Travels and voyages), published in 1550-59. This map depicts all of Asia and was the standard map of the continent for at least 40 years. Nevertheless, Asia is still shown extending farther to the east than it should, the shape of Japan is distorted, and Luzon is missing from the Philippines. New Guinea is enlarged, and a putative Australia is indicated in the bottom right-hand corner. The Red Sea is given the alternative name of Arabian Gulf, and the Gulf is given the alternative name of Mar Mesendin (Sea of Mesendin), derived from present-day Musandam, the northernmost governorate of Oman.

Names

  • Ortelius, Abraham, 1527-1598 Contributor.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1579.

Headings

  • -  1570
  • -  Maps

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "This is a new plate of the 1570 map, meticulously copied. In the Arabian Peninsula the name Ara, a city at the mouth of the Red Sea, has been omitted, while Medina Tallnabi becomes Medina, the word Tallnabi being moved to the left to cover a formerly nameless town south of Ianbut (present-day Yanbu').|Map scale approximately 1:28,000,000"--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 map ; 37 x 48 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Qatar National Library.
  • -  Content in Latin.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021668733

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Ortelius, Abraham, Contributor. A New Description of Asia. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1579] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668733/.

APA citation style:

Ortelius, A. (1579) A New Description of Asia. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668733/.

MLA citation style:

Ortelius, Abraham, Contributor. A New Description of Asia. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1579] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021668733/>.