1595 Mercator’s Iconic Map of the Northern Polar Regions. Septentrionalium terrarum descriptio. The First Separate Map of the Area. Detailed Specifications This is a modern reproduction of the original map. This Map Comes in Sizes: 11″x12″, 16″x17″ and 23″x24.5″ We have more Hemisphere Maps, you can find them in Our Store Remember, the smaller the map size the harder it is to read the text. All Our Posters and Maps Are Made in the USA Fine example of the rare first state of Mercator’s map of the North Polar regions, the first separately-published map of the North Polar Regions. It shows the North Pole surrounded by four islands, an iconic representation. It is also a telling documentation of the prevalent geographic theories of the time. Mercator’s classic map of the Arctic is in hemispherical form and framed by four medallions and a handsome floral border. The map extends thirty degrees in radius to sixty degrees N latitude—ten degrees wider in radius than the original inset. The pole itself is made up of four islands, which myth had it were separated by four strong flowing rivers. These carried the oceans of the world towards a giant whirlpool at the pole where there stood a large rock, labeled here as “Rupes Nigra et Altissima.” The map shows Greenland, Iceland, and the mythical island of Frisland. The northern most portions of Asia, Europe, and America cluster at the edges of the hemisphere, with California identified as a Spanish territory and labeled far north of its usual location. The Biblical land of Gog, usually associated with Tartary, is shown in Asia, just across the Strait of Anian. Three of the four medallions contain inset maps of the Faeroe Isles, the Shetland Isles, and Frisland. The fourth contains the title. This map comes with a white border around the image ————————— -How are the prints shipped? They are rolled and placed into a rigid tube or box. -Is this available in a larger/smaller size. Yes. For smaller or larger sizes, email us.