CHY 4U1 – Image Analysis
The Age of Discovery – World Maps
Discussing the Illustration:
1) These two world maps show how drastically people’s understanding of the world changed during the age of exploration.
The map on the left is from 1493. What big differences between it and present-day maps stand out most?
2) For centuries, Europe’s maps were even less accurate than the one on the left. They were based as much on Biblical stories
as on real geographic knowledge. Why do you think Europeans before the 1500s were influenced by Bible stories when
creating maps?
3) The map on the right was drawn only 100 years later, in the 1590s. What big changes does it show compared with the map
on the left? What might explain these changes?
4) Some people say Columbus set out to prove that the world was round. Actually, this fact was well known in Europe in 1492.
In fact, Columbus sailed west to Asia in part because of his ignorance of the world, not his knowledge about it. Can you
explain it?