1630 America Meridionalis

By: Mercator / Hondius Date: 1633 (published) Amsterdam Dimensions: 14 x 19 inches (35.5 x 48.25 cm) This stunning map of South America, one of the earliest obtainable maps to feature the continent on its own, was first published separately by Gerard Mercator in 1569. In this map, South America retains the bulge of its eastern portion as Mercator had depicted it in his earlier world map of 1538. It differs from that map in that the continent is elongated and more closely resembles its true geographic form. The entire eastern portion of the continent is rendered almost as an island, with the Rio de la Plata River running from the northwestern edge of it to the southwestern. The Amazon is rendered as part of a river system running east and west which forms a tributary to the Rio de la Plata system. Many of the regions already bear the names by which their respective countries are known today. Around the entire continent is an uninterrupted series of toponyms naming settlements, ports, ri