Top 45+ Ancient Maps Of The World That Were Paramount Navigation Tools
- #1 Babylonian Imago Mundi
- #3 Ptolemy's World Map
- #5 Tabula Peutingeriana
- #7 Samuel Dunn's Map Of The World
- #9 Cantino Planisphere
- #11 "Kunyu Wanguo Quantu" By Matteo Ricci
- #13 Bianco's World Map
- #15 Pietro Coppo Map
- #17 Bunting Clover Leaf Map
- #19 Turin Papyrus
- #21 Tabula Rogeriana
- #23 The Anglo-Saxon Cotton Map
- #25 Piri Reis Map
- #27 Map Of The Track Of Yu Gong
- #29 The Psalter World Map
- #31 The Kangnido World Map
- #33 World Map Of Pomponius Mela
- #35 Borgia World Map
- #37 Hecataeus Of Miletus' Map Of The World
- #39 Ebstorf Map
- #41 Albi’s Mappa Mundi Map
- #43 Diogo Ribeiro Map
#1 Babylonian Imago Mundi

In the sixth century BC, the world's earliest known map was created in Babylon. The map places Babylon in the middle of a region that doesn't go past Mesopotamia's borders. A "bitter river" circles the globe. They thought there was no way to get to the seven points beyond the river.
#3 Ptolemy's World Map

Ptolemy's world map designed in 150 AD. For the first time in history, longitudinal and latitudinal lines were added to a world map.
#5 Tabula Peutingeriana

The entire map is very lengthy, stretching from Iberia to India, with Rome serving as the globe's geographic center.
#7 Samuel Dunn's Map Of The World

Samuel Dunn's map of the world, drawn in 1794 AD. Dunn was the first to map out the entire world using Captain James Cook's discoveries as his guide.
#9 Cantino Planisphere

The earliest map still in existence, known as the Cantino planisphere or Cantino world map, depicts Portuguese discoveries in the east and west. It was successfully transported from Portugal to Italy in 1502 by the agent for the Duke of Ferrara, Alberto Cantino, who bears his name. Along with showing Africa, Europe, and Asia, it also depicts the Caribbean islands and what appears to be the Florida shoreline. The map is particularly noteworthy for depicting a sketchy record of the Brazilian coast, which Portuguese explorer Pedro lvares Cabral discovered in 1500.
#11 "Kunyu Wanguo Quantu" By Matteo Ricci

Kunyu Wanguo Quantu, printed by Italian Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci at the request by Wanli Emperor in 1602, is the first known European-styled Chinese world map (and the first Chinese map to show the Americas). The map is written in Classical Chinese and includes extensive annotations and descriptions of different geographical areas as well as a brief history of the discovery of the Americas, polar projections, a scientific explanation of parallels and meridian lines, and evidence that the Sun is larger than the Moon. Ricci positioned China (also known as "the Middle Kingdom") at the center of the globe in accordance with Chinese cartographic tradition. This map is a crucial indicator of how much Chinese knowledge of the world has grown, as well as a prime illustration of direct cultural fusion between China and Europe. Additionally, it was exported to Japan and Korea.
#13 Bianco's World Map

Andrea Bianco's atlas of 1436 comprises ten leaves of vellum, measuring 29 cm × 38 cm (11 in × 15 in), in an 18th-century binding. A description of the Rule of Marteloio for resolving the course is included on the first leaf, along with the "circle and square," two tables, and two further diagrams. The eight leaves after that are different navigational maps. The Ptolemaic world map, using Ptolemy's first projection, is included on the final leaf. Some people think that Bianco's maps were the first to accurately depict the Florida coast because a macro-peninsula is connected to a sizable island called Antillia. Additionally, Bianco and Fra Mauro worked together to create the Fra Mauro world map in 1459.
#15 Pietro Coppo Map

One of the final globe maps to show the "Dragon's Tail," the final remnant of Ptolemy's landlocked representation of the Indian Ocean from over 1,500 years earlier, reaching southward from Asia's extreme easternmost point.
#17 Bunting Clover Leaf Map

The Bunting Clover Leaf Map, created by Heinrich Bunting in Germany in 1581, is a later Christian map. This map represents the world as an extension of the Christian trinity, with Jerusalem serving as the hub that binds it all together, rather than how it actually is.
#19 Turin Papyrus

The Wadi Hammamat gold mine is depicted on the Turin Papyrus (east), which B. Drovetti discovered at Deir el-Medina around 1820 BC (Egypt).
Ancient Egyptian mining chart for Ramesses IV's quarrying expedition, from the 12th century BC, found among Turin Papyrus fragments (New Kingdom)
#21 Tabula Rogeriana

The Tabula Rogeriana by Al-Idrisi, drawn in 1154. Based on the accounts of Arab traders who had traveled the globe, this map was produced. It was the world's most detailed and accurate map at the time. The map displays a lot of Europe and Asia, but it only shows the northern regions of Africa.
#23 The Anglo-Saxon Cotton Map

The Anglo-Saxon Cotton Map, created between 1025 and 1050 AD. The highest region of this map is made up of the eastern regions of the earth. By misinterpreting descriptions of the Red Sea, the artist mistakenly painted every river in Africa red.
#25 Piri Reis Map

The Piri Reis map was produced by Ottoman Turkish admiral and geographer Piri Reis in the 16th century. The third of the map that has survived depicts parts of the western coasts of Europe and North Africa rather accurately, and the Brazilian coast is also clearly visible. The mythical island of Antillia, as well as several other Atlantic islands, including the Azores and Canary Islands, are pictured. The map is notable for showing what appears to be an extension of the American continent to the southeast, which some have argued is proof that Antarctica was known to exist before other continents.
#27 Map Of The Track Of Yu Gong

Around Shaanxi, China, in the year 1137, a stone was engraved with the "Map of the Track of Yu Gong."
This precisely drawn map, which shows the size of the Chinese empire, was created using a rectangular grid.
#29 The Psalter World Map

The Psalter World Map, drawn by an unknown medieval monk in 1260 AD. Maps from this time period usually place the east at the top of the globe, where the sun rises and Jesus watches over the world.
#31 The Kangnido World Map

The Kangnido World Map was created by Korean officials in 1402 AD. The Joseon Dynasty combined Chinese maps with information about the West that they learned from Mongolian Muslims to create this map.
#33 World Map Of Pomponius Mela

Pomponius' world map, created in 43 AD.
#35 Borgia World Map

The Borgia map is an early 15th-century world map that is mostly decorative. It was engraved on a metal plate.
#37 Hecataeus Of Miletus' Map Of The World

The world map created by Hecataeus of Miletus in the fifth or sixth century BC.
Around the Mediterranean Sea, Hecataeus divides the world into three regions: Europe, Asia, and Libya. His planet is a round disc encircled by water.
#39 Ebstorf Map

World map created in Germany during the 13th century by Gervase of Ebstorf. Jerusalem serves as the geographic center of the Ebstorf Map, which is based on the T and O model from the Middle Ages. It is embellished with representations of biblical tales from various geographical locations.
#41 Albi’s Mappa Mundi Map

Albi’s Mappa Mundi, from an 8th c. The manuscript was found in the St. Cecilia cathedral of Albi, France.
#43 Diogo Ribeiro Map

The Padrón Real, created in 1527 by Portuguese geographer Diogo Ribeiro while working for Spain, is widely considered to be the first global map based only on empirical latitude observations. Six copies have been attributed to Ribeiro, including ones at the Vatican City Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana and the Weimar Grand Ducal Library (1527 Mundus Novus). The data obtained during the Magellan-Elcano expedition around the world had a considerable impact on the construction of the map (Mapamundi). Diogo's map clearly depicts the coastlines of Central and South America. Australia and Antarctica are absent, while the Indian subcontinent is too small to be included. For the first time, the actual extent of the Pacific Ocean is depicted on a map as well.