1596 America sive India Nova ad magnae Gerardi Mercatoris...

America sive India Nova ad magnae Gerardi Mercatoris aui Uiniversalis imitationem in compendium redacta By: Michael Mercator Date: 1613 (circa) Amsterdam Dimensions: 14.5 x 18 inches (37 x 45.75 cm). This is the only know printed map attributed to Michael Mercator, grandson of Gerard. The stunning map of the Americas is based on Rumold Mercator's world map of 1587, but includes more detail. The North Pole is shown as several large islands just above a clear Northwest Passage and large inland lake in northern Canada. In America, the St. Lawrence extends far inland until its path is interrupted by a mountain range that comes from early Spanish explorations of the Southwest. Three circular inserts show various islands of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. South America displays two large bulges on the east and west coast. The western bulge would disappear by the second state of the map; however the exaggerated eastern bulge would appear in most maps for well over a century. The majority of