1762 L’Amerique, Septentrionale divisee en ses principaux Etats Par Le Sr. Janvier Geograph a Paris

By: Jean Janvier Date: 1762 (published) Paris Dimensions: 12 x 17.5 inches (30.5 x 44.5 cm) This fascinating Janvier map is the first edition published by him, and features the mythical ‘Sea of the West’. The map covers the North American continent from the Arctic circle in the north to Panama and northern South America in the south. Greenland is depicted as a large peninsula connected to northeastern Canada. The continent is divided according to the three colonial powers controlling it at the time, England with its colonies along the east coast, Spain controlling Mexico, Central America, Cuba and Florida and France occupying Canada and Louisiana.   The ‘Sea of the West’ covers a vast expanse, is positioned inland from the Pacific with the larger part in Canada, but with a portion in what is labeled as Louisiana. The existence of the sea was based on the sixteenth century explorations and reports of Juan de Fuaca, who explored the west coast of North America as far north as Vancouver