Fra Mauro, Mappamondo [World Map] (c. 1459 CE)

The Fra Mauro map is a world map made around 1459 by the Venitian cartographer and monk Fra Mauro for the rulers of Venice and Portugal, two of the main seafaring nations of the time. The map took several years to complete and was expensive to produce. It contains hundreds of detailed illustrations and more than 3000 descriptive texts. It was the most detailed and accurate representation of the world that had been produced up until that time. Unlike many of its predecessors, it prioritized accuracy over religious or traditional beliefs. Fra Mauro's World Map represents the knowledge exchanges happening across Afroeurasia during the age of exploration. It was created using existing maps, charts, manuscripts, and the accounts of Arab traders and world explorers that passed through the port of Venice., as well as well-traveled refugees fleeing Constantinople after its fall to the Muslim Ottomans. Following the Arabic custom, south is oriented at the top of the map, and it depicts Asia, Africa and Europe with the Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The Americas, not yet discovered by Europeans, are not shown. A detailed history and analysis of the map can be found here.