Europeans have been curious about Africa since ancient times, but their knowledge of the continent was very limited until the Age of Discovery between the 15th and 17th centuries. The Portuguese were the first to explore the African coast, looking for a sea route to Asia and trading gold with the Akan peoples of modern Ghana. They also established forts and colonies in some parts of western Africa.
However, most of the interior of Africa remained unknown to Europeans until the 19th century, when explorers such as Livingstone, Stanley, and Lenz ventured into the heart of Africa and mapped its geography, geology, and cultures.
The first map of Africa that is available to us today was created by Sebastian Münster, a German professor of Hebrew, in 1554, and it well-reflects this historical reality (it was made right in the middle of the Age of Discovery).
Münster lived in Heidelberg and then in Basel, where he settled in 1529 and later died of the plague. After seeking descriptions and maps from both German scholars and individuals from other countries, he became the first mapmaker to print separate maps of the four then known continents, including Africa. He also relied ancient sources like Ptolemy.
His map of Africa shows some interesting features, such as a one-eyed giant over Nigeria and Cameroon representing the mythical tribe of the “Monoculi”, a dense forest in the Sahara Desert, and an elephant filling southern Africa. These features reflect the myths and legends that Europeans had about the continent at the time. (Click map to enlarge/read more about its features below.)
The Niger River originates and terminates in lakes, while the Nile’s source is found in two lakes feed by waters from the mythical Mountains of the Moon, depicted as small brown mounds. Notable kingdoms, including that of the legendary Prester John, and the legendary tombs of the Nubian kings, “Meroë,” are highlighted. Coastal towns are sparingly mentioned, and Madagascar is absent. A simplified caravel, akin to those used by the Portuguese (and Columbus), navigates off the southern coast.
An intriguing feature is the loop of the Senegal River, shown entering the ocean in today’s Gulf of Guinea, which is, in fact, the actual route of the Niger River. However, this was only confirmed during the Lander brothers’ expedition in 1830. Interestingly, this loop vanished from subsequent maps of Africa for the following two centuries.
Beautifully designed the map represents a high mark of h-century mapmaking, it shows Africa in a recognizable shape, with a more pointed southern cape.
Between the time of this and Cary s map, British explorers have crossed the Sahara, descended the Niger to its outlet in the Gulf of Guinea, and visited large areas of west and southern Africa.