The author made several trips to the beautiful Emerald Isle (Ireland) at the beginning of this century. Based on this he has created an “alternative” travel guide. It includes a tour around the island where the most important places are visited from a topographic, geological and archaeological/historical perspective. Twenty-one sights on the island are visited during a counter-clockwise tour along the coast. With your own or rented car or camper, the complete tour can be done in just as many days (3 weeks).

This e-Atlas shows a series of (100) curious maps which have been made through the history of cartography. From early classical maps to contemporary computer images. Mostly they were the result of the (lack of) information available to the author drawing the map. In the past the only source for cartographers was oral and written information from merchants, seamen, explorers etc. Copying maps of (foreign) colleague cartographers, including their errors, was very common. This atlas is not just a visual tour showing the history of mapping; it also marks the most important discoveries and the advancement in technology of mankind. From inventions and applications such as the magnetic compass and the printing press to modern mapping techniques like satellite remote sensing. PART IV – the main part - contains a selection of remarkable maps and a description of their contents and makers. It starts with the earliest survived maps. The maps are not only characterized by their content based on newly available information. The cartographic drawing style has also evolved through time: from early manuscript and woodcut drawings via (copper) engravings to modern printing techniques. The timeline follows the (European) history of cartography. The maps (Part IV) are grouped according to their characteristics. From the very first hand-drawn world maps, via 16th/17th century atlas maps (Golden Age of Cartography), to contemporary computer-generated (thematic) images. Within a group they are arranged chronologically. Most of the earliest maps are in the classic Latin language, most ‘modern’ maps are in the English language.

Ukraine in 40 historical maps: 1480-2020 (124 pages) NOTE: This atlas of Ukraine is free. Instead, you can of course always support the Red Cross in Ukraine with a donation. Thank you.

The 4th continent is named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. The name America was introduced by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemuller. He wrongly assumed that Amerigo Vespucci - and not Columbus – had been the first European who discovered the new western continent. The name appeared for the first time on his famous world map published in 1507. The printed wall map was lost for a long time; the only survived copy was found in Schloss Wolfegg, in southern Germany in 1901. The map, also called the “birth-certificate of America”, was purchased by the Library of Congress in 2003. The (eastern) coastline of America was drawn much more accurate on the world map of Ribero in 1527. The first separately printed map (pocket version) of the new continent (the Americas) was included in Sebastian Munster’s encyclopaedia (1540 onwards). The first (printed) separate maps of North America appeared in the mid 16th century. At first they were small overview maps in pocket atlases, e.g. by Italian cartographer Porcacchi. Numerous large (atlas) maps made by famous cartographers would follow: e.g. Jansson (Netherlands), Sanson (France), Moll (England) and Lotter (Germany).

The 4th continent is named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. The name America was introduced by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemuller. He wrongly assumed that Amerigo Vespucci - and not Columbus – had been the first European who discovered the new western continent. The name appeared for the first time on his famous world map published in 1507. The printed wall map was lost for a long time; the only survived copy was found in Schloss Wolfegg, in southern Germany in 1901. The map, also called the “birth-certificate of America”, was purchased by the Library of Congress in 2003. The (eastern) coastline of America was drawn much more accurate on the world map of Ribero in 1527. The first separately printed map (pocket version) of the new continent (the Americas) was included in Sebastian Munster’s encyclopaedia (1540 onwards). The first (printed) separate maps of South America appeared in the mid 16th century. At first they were small overview maps in pocket atlases, e.g. by Italian cartographers Gastaldi and Ruscelli. Numerous large (atlas) maps made by famous cartographers would follow: e.g. Gutierrez/Cock (Belgium), Jansson (Netherlands), Sanson (France) and Lotter (Germany).

The name Asia comes from Semitic, an old language from which the current Arabic, Hebrew and Maltese languages, among others, are derived. It refers to the word asu, which means “rising of the sun”. (Western) Asia was already described by classical Greek scholars; e.g. Ptolemy in his Geographia (150AD). The accompanying (world) maps were worked out again by European cartographers at the end of the 15th century. It is also depicted on the T-O based Mappa Mundi of the middle ages, being one of the 3 then known ‘old’ continents (besides Africa and Europe). During the Middle Ages, as the Europeans increased their knowledge and awareness of the size of the Asian continent, they progressively extended the name of Asia to the rest of the continent. Waldseemuller’s large map of 1507 - being partly based on Ptolemy’s ideas and new discoveries - was one of the first printed world maps depicting the whole continent, including the far eastern coastline. The first ‘complete’ maps of Asia were still largely based on the voyages of discovery that the Venetian merchant Marco Polo had made between 1271 and 1295 to the Far East. The first (printed) separate maps of Asia appeared in the mid 16th century. At first they were small overview maps in pocket atlases. Numerous large atlas maps made by famous cartographers would follow: e.g. Lafreri (Italy), Mercator (Belgium), Speed (England), Sanson (France), Blaeu (Netherlands) and Homann (Germany).

The name **Africa **may be derived from the Phoenician word afar, meaning “dust”. The name Africa Terra (“Land of the dust”) was introduced by the ancient Romans to identify the northern part of the continent that corresponds to modern-day Tunisia. (Northern) Africa was already described by classical Greek scholars; e.g. Ptolemy in his Geographia (150AD). The accompanying (world) maps were worked out again by European cartographers at the end of the 15th century. It is also depicted on the T-O based Mappa Mundi of the middle ages, being one of the 3 then known ‘old’ continents (besides Asia and Europe). During the Middle Ages, as the Europeans increased their knowledge and awareness of the size of the African continent, they progressively extended the name of Africa to the rest of the continent. Waldseemuller’s large map of 1507 - being partly based on Ptolemy’s ideas and new discoveries - was one of the first world maps depicting the whole continent, including the South-African coastline. On the earlier world map of Martellus (1490) the southern part was truly out of shape; on Cantino’s portolan chart (1502) it was corrected on account of information provided by Portuguese explorers. The first (printed) separate maps of Africa appeared in the mid 16th century. At first they were small overview maps in pocket atlases. Numerous large atlas maps made by famous cartographers would follow: e.g. Lafreri (Italy), Mercator (Belgium), Speed (England), Sanson (France), Blaeu (Netherlands) and Homann (Germany).

Greenland in 42 historical maps: 1554-2018 (130 pages) The name of this largest island (country) was given by early Norse settlers. In the Icelandic sagas, the Norwegian-born Icelander Erik the Red was said to be exiled from Iceland for manslaughter. Along with his extended family and his serfs, he set out in ships to explore an icy land known to lie to the northwest. After finding a habitable area and settling there, he named it Grœnland (Greenland), supposedly in the hope that the pleasant name would attract settlers. The name of the country in the indigenous Greenlandic language is Kalaallit Nunaat (“Land of the Kalaallit”). The Kalaallit are the indigenous Greenlandic Inuit people who inhabit the country’s western region. The first separate maps of the island/country already appeared at the end of the 16th century. However, parts of its coastline (especially to the North) weren’t based on true observations but purely fictionally drawn. It would last until the end of the 19th century before the complete coastline was actually charted.

Surinam in 35 historical maps: 1522-2018 (116 pages) The name Surinam comes from Surinen people, the earliest known native American inhabitants of the region. From 1667 till 1975 the country was a colony of The Netherlands. It had been governed by the WIC (West Indies Company), the counterpart of the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company). On some antique maps the name Dutch Guyana is used to identify the colony/country and distinguish it from the neighbouring areas British Guyana (to the West) and French Guyana (to the East). Maps of the south-American region Guyana already appeared at the end of the 16th century. Separate (printed) maps of Surinam, mostly made by Dutch cartographers in service of the WIC, appeared in the early 18th century.

The Pacific Ocean in 38 historical maps: 1527-2018 (120 pages) The (eastern) Pacific was first sighted by Europeans in the early 16th century when Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1513 and discovered the great “southern sea” which he named Mar del Sur (in Spanish). But it was Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan who gave this largest ocean in 1521 its current name: Mare Pacifico (Pacific Ocean). The name was chosen because of the apparent stillness of the sea. Magellan was the first explorer who circumnavigated the globe and charted the real extension of the Pacific Ocean. The world map of Diego Ribero (1527) was the first map showing the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. The first printed separate maps of the Pacific Ocean appeared at the end of the 16th century. Numerous maps followed in the 17th century, most of them made by Dutch cartographers in service of the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company).

Luxemburg in 35 historical maps: 1571-2018 (116 pages). The name Luxemburg (French: Luxembourg) – for both the Country and its Capital City – comes from Celtic Lucilem (meaning “small” or “little”) and Germanic burg (meaning “castle”). Its origin goes back to 963, when Siegfried (of the House of Ardennes), the Abbot of St. Maximin at Trier, got the local castle into possession. From here the successive counts of Luxemburg extended their area. In the 16th/17th century, Luxemburg became a Principality of the Low Countries, and included the present Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the current Belgian province of Luxembourg and a number of neighbouring areas in France and Germany. The first separately printed maps of Luxemburg appeared at the end of the 16th century. Most of them were made by established cartographers from the Low Countries: e.g. Ortelius, Mercator and Blaeu.

Malta in 37 historical maps: 1480-2018 (120 pages). The name Malta is either from Greek or Phoenician origin. The presence of the Greek dates back to 700BC when they called the island Melita, which refers to “(land of) honey”. The name was also used by the Romans during their domination of the island. The alternative Phoenician theory refers to the word Maleth, meaning “a haven”. The name Melita is used on the earliest maps, the name Malta on modern maps. On 17th century maps both names were often applied. The island already appears as a small (green) spot on regional maps of Ptolemy (c.150AD/c.1480). The first (printed) separate maps of Malta (in black & white) were published in the early 16th century. Numerous maps (on a larger scale) would follow during the 17th century, including the beautiful coloured maps of the Dutch Blaeu firm.

Switzerland in 44 historical maps: 1525-2018 (134 pages). The name Switzerland (Schweiz, Suisse) means Land of the Switzers (Swiss people). It refers to Schwyz, one of the founding cantons of the country. Its origin is uncertain: it may be derived from the Anglo-Saxon term swiþ- (meaning “strong”) or from the Germanic word swint- or Celtic word sveit- (“clearing”). The present name came into use on maps during the 17th century. On earlier maps the Latin name Helvetia was used. This name refers to the Celtic tribes which lived in the area, prior to the people who immigrated from Germany. The first separately printed maps of Helvetia appeared in the early 16th century.

Norway, Sweden and Finland in 46 historical maps: 150AD-2018 (140 pages). In the 17th century the Latin name Scandinavia appeared on maps identifying the most northern part of western Europe (Norway, Sweden and Finland). It is derived from the Proto-Germanic word skadinaujo. The second part of the word refers to the waters surrounding the region. Parts of Scandinavia were already described by Ptolemy in his Geographia (150AD). The accompanying maps were worked out again by European cartographers at the end of the 15th century. The first separately printed maps appeared in the early 16th century. The name Norway, or its native name Norge, means the “Northern Way”. It refers to the long coastal passages from the western tip of Norway to its northernmost lands in the Arctic. The name Sweden (or Svitjod in Old Norse) means “One’s own people”. The name Finland means “Land of the Finns”. The origin of the word Finn is uncertain: it may be derived from the Proto-Germanic finne (meaning “wanderers” or “hunting-folk”).

Portugal in 46 historical maps: 1480-2018 (138 pages). On ancient maps the Latin name Iberia was used to identify the Spanish peninsula (Spain and Portugal). It is derived from the Greek word Iberes, meaning “the Celtic people of Spain”. But it may also refer to the river Ebro in Spain. Most likely the name Portugal means “beautiful port”. The first part refers to the Latin word Portus. The second part may be derived from the Greek word kallis. Spain and Portugal were already described by Ptolemy in his Geographia (150AD). The accompanying maps were worked out again by European cartographers at the end of the 15th century. The coastline was drawn in more detail on 14th century Portolan charts (nautical maps). The first separately printed map of Portugal appeared in the 16th century (about 1560).

Poland in 42 historical maps: 1513-2018 (130 pages). The name Poland means “Land of Polans”. It refers to an ancient tribe occupying the territory. Most likely it is derived from the Polish word pole, which means “(open) field”. When the Polans formed a united Poland (Polska) in the 10th century, this name also came into use for the whole Polish country. On Cresques famous map of Europe (Catalan atlas, 1375) the Latin name Polonia is used. During the next centuries this Latin name was mostly used by established cartographers such as Munster, Ortelius, Mercator and Blaeu. Munster’s map (ca. 1540) was one of the first separately printed maps of the country. The map was based on earlier work of Bernard Wapowski (ca. 1526), being the ‘father of Polish cartography’.

Iceland in 42 historical maps: 1528-2018 (130 pages). Iceland means “Land of Ice”. The Old Norse name is Ísland. On early maps the Latin name Islandia is mostly used. Iceland is clearly depicted on the famous map of Scandinavia (1539) made by Olaus Magnus. The first separately printed map of the country appeared a few years later. The first full colour map was published by Ortelius in 1590. In the course of history numerous native cartographers turned up and produced a string of great maps of the country. E.g. Gudbrandur Thorlaksson (c.1590), Thordur Thorlaksson (1668), Eiriksson (1780), Gunnlaugsson (1849) and Thoroddsen (1900).

Hungary in 44 historical maps: 1528-2018 (134 pages). The name Hungary means “Alliance of the ten tribes”. Byzantine chronicles gave this name to the Hungarians; the chroniclers mistakenly assumed that the Hungarians had Turkish origins, based on their Turkish-nomadic customs and appearance, despite the Uralic language of the people. The Hungarian tribes later actually formed an alliance of the 7 Hungarian and 3 Khazarian tribes, but the name is from before then, and first applied to the original seven Hungarian tribes. The ethnonym Hunni, referring to the Huns, has influenced the Latin (and English) spelling. The first separately printed map of Hungary (and surroundings) appeared in 1528. More detailed maps were included in the atlases of Ortelius and Mercator at the end of the 16th century.

Greece in 47 historical maps: 20BC-2018 (140 pages). The name Greece means “Land of the Greeks”. The Latin name as introduced by the Romans is Graecia. Its origin is uncertain but it may be derived from the Proto-Greek word grauj (‘old age’) or the Proto-Indo-European word gere (‘to grow old’). The Greeks themselves called their country Hellas. This name refers to Hellen (son of Deucalion and Pyrrha), a figure found in ancient Greek mythology. Greece was already described by Ptolemy (ca. 150 AD) and other classical Greek and Roman scholars. The coastline and their numerous small islands were mapped more accurate on Portolan charts of the 14th and 15th century. The first separately printed maps appeared in the (early) 16th century.

Denmark in 44 historical maps: 1480-2018 (134 pages). The name Denmark probably means “Flat Borderlands”. Most likely it is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word dhen (meaning “low” or “flat”) and the Old Norse words merki (“boundary”) or mork (“borderland”). Although out of shape, the country is clearly visible on the first maps based on Ptolemy’s descriptions (c.1480). It looks like an appendix North of Germany. On the famous overview map of Scandinavia, made by Olaus Magnus (1539), the border of Denmark is depicted more accurately. One of the first separate maps was included in Sebastian Munster’s encyclopaedia (1544). The first separately printed (hand-coloured) map, based on the work of the Danish Cartographer Marcus Jordan (1552), was published by Ortelius in 1570.