The Map That Put ‘America’ on the Map
The first map to name America as a continent will be put on display in July at the Library of Congress, in Washington, D.C., which has finally collected $10 million needed for its purchase. This is the only known copy to survive of the 1,000 printed from 12 wood blocks. German cartographer Martin Waldseemueller, who created the map in 1507 as part of a project begun in St. Die, France, named the continent after the Venetian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Christopher Columbus and other Europeans thought they had reached Asia, but Vespucci considered it a new continent.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. June 26, 2003 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday June 26, 2003 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 0 inches; 27 words Type of Material: Correction
Waldseemueller Map -- An article Saturday in Section A about the 16th century Waldseemueller Map incorrectly identified Amerigo Vespucci as a Venetian explorer. He was from Florence.
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