Comparing Maps

The two maps on pages 377 and 379 show very different things. The map on 377 shows the entire world with thin border lines between countries. Although the section representing Europe is very accurate, the same cannot be said for the rest of the world. The map makers seemed unsure of what lay in the Western Hemisphere other than knowing that there was a large land mass. In contrast, the map on 379 shows a small, detailed section of Europe and Africa and has clearly marked boundaries between empires. The map from 377 shows that the mapmaker knew a great deal about Eastern Europe, putting it in the middle of the map and showing it in clearest detail.

A Chinese map made in the 16th century would definitely show a huge focus on China and Western Europe. It would probably be very accurate when depicting China, India and Arabia but the rest would be a bit fuzzy. A common trend in maps of this time period is the the area the map is from is in clear detail but the rest of the world is not. So a map made by someone living in the Ottoman Empire would show Western Europe and Africa, but the mapmaker might have known little of the geography of China or the Americas.