The U.S. Library of Congress is going to display the first map to use the name ‘America‘, created by ancient German cartographer Martin Waldseemuller.
This world map is the first document to indicate the western hemisphere and label the Pacific Ocean. The cartographer drew this map in early 1507. Later the map was lost in a library of a German castle for 400 years and was rediscovered in 1901. Ultimately in 2003 US Library of Congress purchased the 12 sheets of 4-ft by 8-ft document for 10 million US dollars from Prince Johannes Waldburg-Wolfegg. Now the Library is going to display this precious treasure of cartography in public.
This map has drawn lots of attention not just because of its antique value but also for some unsolved doubts and confusion,that it has created among the research scholars and specialists. The map maker displayed the Pacific Ocean as its own body of water long years before it was found. He had also portrayed South America almost seamlessly. Before sketching the map Waldseemuller collected lots of information from the famous explorers like Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci and some other unknown Portuguese and Spanish resources. But John Hebert, Chief of the Geography and Map division of library believes that as the way Vespucci described,it was almost impossible to draw such a near-perfect sketch of America. Library of Congress said that the map represents a total contemporary view of the world. Another doubt is also troubling the specialists. They are busy finding the reasons why the German scholar stopped using the name ‘America’ in the next maps. Rather he started indicating this land as ‘terra incognita‘ or ‘unknown land’. Afterwards he also gave misgivings as he first mistakenly named that new territory as ‘America’ after Vespucci’s first name, thinking that he [and not Columbus] had discovered that.
The researchers believe that the map may disclose some more unknown facts. However, for the time being, the library has decided to exhibit it in its specialized display casing from December 13, 2007.
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