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The Waldseemüller Map First Names "America"
In 1507 German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller printed the Universalis Cosmographia at Saint-Dié, first labeling the New World "America" after Amer…
Timeline
- 1507Saint-Dié-des-Vosges · FranceIn Saint-Dié in Lorraine, Waldseemüller and scholars such as Matthias Ringmann, supported by the local humanist circle, drew on Vespucci's letters and the latest navigational reports to compile a new world map and accompanying pamphlet.
- 1507Saint-Dié-des-Vosges · FranceThe printed twelve-panel world map labeled the landmass of the Southern Hemisphere "America," accompanied by the Introductio Cosmographiae explaining the rationale for naming it after Amerigo Vespucci. The name then spread across Europe through the circulation of the map.
Sources
- Waldseemüller, Martin. Universalis Cosmographia (1507) — Martin Waldseemüller (1507) https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3200.ct000725/
- Naming America: Martin Waldseemüller and the Cosmographiae Introductio — John W. Hessler (2008) https://www.loc.gov/collections/waldseemuller-1507-world-map/articles-and-essays/