2 The Eastern Hemisphere – Albertin de Virga’s Map

“ … It was told me by Frances de Sousa Tavares that in the yeere 1528, Dom Fernando, the king’s sonne and heire did show him a map which was found in the studie of the Alcobaca [a renowned Cistercian monastery traditionally used as a library by Portuguese kings] which had beene made 120 yeeres before [viz 1408] which map did saw forth all the navigation of the East Indies with the Cape of Boa Esperanca according as our later maps had described it; whereby it appeareth that in ancient times there was as much or more discovered than now there is…”

This astounding chart was drawn eight decades before Columbus set sail on his first voyages to the New World.  A copy was given to Dom Pedro who took it to Portugal in 1428.

The chart is in the form of a globe drawn from a cartographer’s perspective centred upon the most famous observatory of the day, that of Ulugh Begh in Samarkand.

Here is a summary of what is shown on the map:

The entire Siberian coast from N. Norway to the Bering Straits.  Clearly identifiable are Novaya Zemyla: The Kara Sea: Taimyr Peninsular; Llaptev Sea; The East Siberian Sea (Nizhne Kozmysk): The Chukchoi Peninsular and Sea.

Sakhalin and Japan (Hokaido, Honshu and Kyushu Islands)

The coast of China with Rivers and bays from the Latitude of Beijing to Hong Kong: Taiwan: Hainan: French Indo China. The names shown for Chinese rivers and cities are those used by Marco Polo.

Australia’s northern coast drawn with precision and power from Courier bay in the West to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the East – more accurately drawn than on the Jean Rotz which is clearly a derivative. Australia is accurately positioned relative to China (Zaiton).

The Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean with the Laccadive, Andaman and Maldive chains.  The entire east African coast with Zanzibar and Madagascar.  The French Antarctic Islands (St Paul, Amsterdam, Bouvet, Crozet) the southern oceans down to the Antarctic.  This section is clearly ‘lifted’ from Zheng He’s Antarctic charts.South West

The entire south and west coasts of Africa including ‘the bulge’ much more accurately drawn than on the Kangnido: The Gulf of Guinea and San Tome Island: St Helena, Ascension and Gough Islands in the South Atlantic – again clearly lifted from Zheng He’s charts.

The Mediterranean almost perfect, N. Africa, the Cape Verde Islands, Azores and Canaries chains (all drawn before these were ‘discovered’ by the Portuguese).  The Cantino is a derivative. Denmark, Iceland, Baffin Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in more detail than on the Vinland Map, which is a derivative.