Guillaume Delisle, The Americas Map, 1780

Carte d'Amerique dresscee pour l'usage du Roy, 1780. The Americas comprise the totality of the continents of North and South America. Together, they make up most of the land in Earth's western hemisphere and comprise the New World. The Americas extend 8, 700 miles from north to south, the climate and ecology vary widely, from the arctic tundra of Northern Canada, Greenland, and Alaska, to the tropical rain forests in Central America and South America. Guillaume Delisle (February 28, 1675 - January 25, 1726) was a French cartographer known for his popular and accurate maps of Europe and the newly explored Americas. Like many cartographers of his day, Delisle did not travel with the explorers. He drew maps mostly in his office, relying on a variety of data. The quality of his maps depended on a solid network to provide him first-hand information. Delisle had access to recent accounts of travelers who were returning from the New World, which gave him an advantage over his competitors. He also kept current with recent discoveries, especially in astronomy and measurement. When he could not confirm the accuracy of a source, he would indicate it clearly on his maps

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1700s 1780 1780s Americas Cartographic Cartographical Delisle Eighteenth Guillaume Map-making Mapmaking

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