Giacomo Gastaldi, New France (1556)

Created by Giacomo Gastaldi, one of the greatest Italian mapmakers of the 16th century, this 1556 map is the earliest printed map to show northeast Canada and New York harbor in detail. Based on the 1524 discoveries of Florentine explorer Giovanni, de Varrazzano, who was commissioned by King Francis I of France to sail along the Newfoundland coaset, it is also first map to use "New France" to describe French claims in the region. The map tells a story about activity and natural resources in the region, showing ships and fisherman moving across the sea, and Indigenous Peoples hunting and fishing among the abundant plants and animals. The map also has its fair share of mythical creatures, such as winged creatures populating the north, expressing European fears of the unknown along their representations of oppportunities in the New World.