Abraham Ortelius — Epitome du theatre du monde (1601)

This region truly consists of four Elements: of which the highest is Fire, and the next before it is said by physicists to be Air.

Water and Earth together constitute one globose body.

Now, just as we have given to benevolent Readers the collection and order of all fixed stars to be seen in two hemispheres; in a similar way we have taken care to delineate the constitutions of the whole earth, as much the habitable as the uninhabitable, by two halves of circles: of which the former comprises the new world or America, that is, Brazil, Peru, and New Spain with the islands adjacent to these, the latter, however, contains the World known to the ancients and habitable, namely Europe, Asia, and Africa.

But since we are going to make mention of the properties of individual Regions, Provinces, Cities, Towns, Seas, Rivers, Islands, Peninsulas, and others, of all these, in the following descriptions. We shall therefore rightly (the singular description of the whole earth having been omitted) send Readers to the deductions of all the particular parts of the earth.

The reasons, however, by which the connected surfaces of lands are to be designed on a plane, would be long to recount here. Wherefore, he who is very eager to know them will consult the Geographic writings of both Ptolemy of Alexandria and the Moderns, but above all the commentaries of the most learned G. Mercator on the Geography of Ptolemy, as well as the book of the Antwerpian Mathematician Michael Coignet on Mathematical Introduction to geographic tables, which he caused to be published at Antwerp in the year 1595 after Christ was born.

An engraved world map presented in two circular hemispheres. The left hemisphere displays the Western Hemisphere, specifically "AMERICA," with regions such as "New Spain" and "Peru" labeled. The right hemisphere displays the Eastern Hemisphere, containing "EUROPE," "ASIA," and "AFRICA." Both circles feature a vast southern landmass labeled "UNKNOWN SOUTHERN LAND." The map shows various geographical lines, including the equator labeled "Equinoctial" and the tropics. The background around the hemispheres is decorated with clouds at the top and a landscape with trees and small buildings at the bottom.