Changes

This map was probably drawn during the 16th Century, as the names of the lands labeled on it were all discovered and named by the Europeans during this century. The cartographer clearly underestimated the significance of North America, as is clear from its size in this map. This reflected the popular belief during the 16th Century that North America was not as important as South America, as there was little prospect seen to find gold in North America. Yet while there actually was gold in the West, that was not the main misperception that the people of the 16th Century had. The main misperception was that gold would be the greatest riches to gain from this “New World”. No one ever imagined that someday the settling of North America would lead to the forming of the future richest country in the world. At that time, few even thought of settling the New World.

This map was probably drawn during the 16th Century, as the names of the lands labeled on it were all discovered and named by the Europeans during this century. The cartographer clearly underestimated the significance of North America, as is clear from its size in this map. This reflected the popular belief during the 16th Century that North America was not as important as South America, as there was little prospect seen to find gold in North America. Yet while there actually was gold in the West, that was not the main misperception that the people of the 16th Century had. The main misperception was that gold would be the greatest riches to gain from this “New World”. No one ever imagined that someday the settling of North America would lead to the forming of the future richest country in the world. At that time, few even thought of settling the New World.