Prof.

José Gonçalves
 Mappa Mundi

Meaning ‘atlas’ or ‘sheet of the world’

in Latin, the Mappa Mundi is an
incredibly detailed wide map depicting
the history, geography and religious
understanding of the known world from
the point of view of 13th-Century
European scholars. The map was
believed to be created around 1300,
offering a fascinating glimpse into the
mindset of the ancient Christian world.
In addition to illustrating people
and places, the map also shows
supernatural scenes from classical
Greek and Roman mythology,
Biblical tales and a collection of
popular legends and stories. Look
near the Strait of Gibraltar and
you’ll see the Columns of Hercules,
which were thought to mark the
end of the inhabited world. The
earthly paradise of Eden is
represented by a circular island at
the eastern extreme of the world,
near Asia.
The world map as seen in 1265
British Library, Public Domain
World map by Henricus Martellus: This manuscript map shows how the Ptolemaic world
view began to be modified during the age of discovery. It is the first known map to show
that a sea route lies open to China and India, following the voyage of Bartolomeu Dias
around the Cape in 1487-88. It is a mixture of Ptolemy, recent Portuguese discoveries and
unknown sources.
British Library, Public Domain
The Cantino planisphere, made by an anonymous cartographer in 1502, shows the world as it
was understood by Europeans after their great explorations at the end of the fifteenth
century.
 The Portuguese Role in Exploring and Mapping the New World

Portugal, the western-most European country, was one of the primary players in the European
Age of Discovery and Exploration. Under the leadership of Prince Henry the Navigator,
Portugal took the principal role during most of the fifteenth century in searching for a route to
Asia by sailing south around Africa. In the process, the Portuguese accumulated a wealth of
knowledge about navigation and the geography of the Atlantic Ocean.
INFANTE D. HENRIQUE

He managed the landings of various

Portuguese navigators to areas that were then
remote. His status as Grand Master of Ordem
de Cristo (Templar Knights), obtained in 1420,
assured him funds which made it possible to
explore the full potential of the Atlantic
Ocean.
In the last decade of the fifteenth century, Christopher Columbus set out on a westerly course
across the Atlantic Ocean searching for an alternative route to the Indies but inadvertently
"discovered" a new continent. Although neither Portuguese-born nor sponsored, Columbus
was Portuguese trained. He went to Lisbon in 1476 and remained there for several years,
seeking the support of the Portuguese king and gathering nautical and geographic intelligence
from the returning sailors. He married a Portuguese woman; obtained navigation charts and
related information from his father-in-law, Bartholomew Perestrelo, who was the governor of
the island of Porto Santo in Madeira; and was employed by João II as a navigator.

After Columbus voyages to the New World, the Portuguese, Spanish, French, Dutch, and
English began the active exploration and exploitation of the newly discovered land in the
Americas. Portuguese sailors continued to make important discoveries in this new arena as
well.
A depiction, from 1639, of the Macau Peninsula,
during the golden age of colonization of Portuguese
Macau.
Portugal was the first European nation to establish trade routes with Japan and China.
Community of Portuguese Language Countries; member states (blue), associate observers
(green), and officially-interested countries & territories (gold).
All areas of the world that were ever part of the Portuguese Empire.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/portam/role.html

https://www.turismomilitar.pt/index.php?lang=en&s=itineraries&id=8&title=The_Portuguese_D
iscoveries

https://pt.slideshare.net/joaquimalberto1/portuguese-discoveries

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_discoveries

http://www.bbc.com/travel/gallery/20190324-the-worlds-oldest-medieval-map

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/hereford-mappa-mundi

https://brewminate.com/the-earth-and-the-heavens-in-ancient-and-medieval-maps/