Quinta
Mercator tried to prove that this fifth landmass existed and was huge, as if it were necessary to counterbalance the weight of the other continents […]
centre informatique
America
In Mercator’s day, America was a largely unexplored continent whose coastlines were still only vague. Despite the dearth of information, it is represented as completely as possible […]
Asia
In Asia, Mercator tried to make the most recent discoveries fit with the representation inherited from the ancient geographers […]
Africa
To draw Africa, Mercator no doubt referred to Martin Waldseemüller’s Carta marina navigatoria […]
Europe
Mercator decisively corrected the outline of the Mediterranean basin by reducing the longitudinal overextension inherited from Ptolemy […]
Measuring the world
On his terrestrial globe Mercator divided the known world into five parts: Europe, Africa, Asia, America and Quinta, a newly discovered southern continent […]
Influences and sources
Mercator was influenced by Ptolemy and Marco Polo but he did not bow to them. He knew how to use their writings while also rectifying and surpassing them […]
New calligraphic convention
Mercator established a new convention for printing the names of places and geographical features. By using different fonts and type sizes, he introduced the notion of an information hierarchy […]
New prime meridian
The prime (or zero) meridian serves as a reference for longitudes. Mercator placed his prime meridian on Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands […]
Magnetised needle
A magnetised needle was set into the stand of each of the two globes. Such needles were meant to help determine longitude […]