nature science history

Earliest Map of Africa Dates Back to 1554

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.

nao victoria age of discovery
Replica of the Victoria, a nao, the only one among Magellan’s five ships to successfully return to Spain in 1522, marking the first-ever circumnavigation of the globe by a ship. Photo: Gnsin

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.)

africa first map 1554
Münster, Sebastian, 1489-1552. “Totius Africæ tabula, & descriptio uniuersalis, etiam ultra Ptolemæi limites extensa.” Woodcut map, with added color, 26 x 35 cm. From Münster’s Cosmographia uniuersalis (Basel, 1554). Click image to enlarge and zoom in

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.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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Written by Tamás Varga
Photo of author
A sociologist and English major by degree, I've worked in the area of civil society & human rights and have been blogging in the fields of travel, nature & science for over 20 years.

2 thoughts on “Earliest Map of Africa Dates Back to 1554”

  1. 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.

    Reply
  2. 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.

    Reply

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