Technology has made it possible to discover the corners of the planet thanks to interactive satellite maps, almost in real time, and without leaving home or from a Smartphone. The queen of applications in this paradise for today’s geography lovers is Google Earth, but what was the planet like 400 years ago? Or rather how was it represented? And the question that concerns us in Costa Rica: how did the cartographers of that time draw our territory? We already have the answers.
A functionality of the Google Earth application allows you to navigate the world in 1587, with the digitized version of the maps from the collection of David Rumsey, a renowned cartography collector. It is a planisphere by the Italian scholar UrbanoMonti (1544-1613).
In cartography, it is one of the most important documents in history. In this document of almost three meters you can find numerous geographical details of that time. “It is an incredible original atlas of 60 double color pages, with the sole intention of capturing the geocartographic reality of the planet on paper,” according to El EspañolOmicrono.
But it is not only about said world map. The complete collection hosted on Google Earth includes maps from 1550 to 1700, 1700 to 1750, or 1750 to 1800. There are also maps from the 20th century (1900 and 1950).
Google’s virtual globe
Keep in mind that this is a digitized world map. The maps are divided to scale and sit on Google’s virtual globe. Of course: it is a fascinating tool for travel and geography enthusiasts, and it is best to prepare a good coffee or the drink of your choice, and have at least 40 minutes to enjoy all the available content.
In order for the entire digital globe to be ‘seen’ as an old map, the option with the year of interest must be chosen from among these four icons located north of the Atlantic Ocean.
Looking at the past
When accessing, through the index you can select the time in which you want to navigate on the planet. It also includes maps of different cities, at different times. A good alternative to imagine the past.
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