Olaus Magnus: Carta marina (1539)

(James Ford Bell Library, Minneapolis, USA)

A map made by the Swedish writer, cartographer, and Catholic ecclesiastic Olaus Magnus (1490-1557). This large map (1.70 m wide by 1.25 m tall) consists of 9 woodblocks and shows Scandinavia, named "Scandia" here (Scandia is the Latin name for Scandinavia which was used by Greek and Roman geographers for various uncharted islands in Northern Europe). The lands shown on this map are: "Svecia" (Svealand) and "Gothia" (Götaland) (both areas in Sweden), "Norvegia" (Norway), Dania (Denmark), Islandia (Iceland), Finlandia (Finland), Lituania (Lithuania) and Livonia (Estonia and Latvia). This is one of the oldest maps of Scandinavia and the first modern map of Scandinavia by a Scandinavian for a European audience. Map from 1539.