The Changing Shape of the Earth
Two peculiarities in the presentation of Europe are noteworthy. These two features appear in Ptolemy's Geographia..
Ptolemy the heel of Italy's boot hangs in an odd manner. Ptolemy
Scotland has a strange hook in the northeast;
The southern point of Africa, which in reality is about 35 degrees south, is at 50 degrees south.
Waldseemüller adopted Ptolemy's estimate of the size of the earth, which was about a fifth smaller than its true size. Thus Africa extends further south, and the oceans are smaller.
Printed versions of Ptolemy’s world maps show the south part of Africa connected to southeast Asia, enclosing the Indian Ocean by land.
In contrast, on his globe Waldseemüller depicted open water around Africa.
 Under the Magnifying Glass
The Globe |
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