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Catalan Atlas

Catalan Atlas ( Catalan: Atles Català, French: Atlas catalan ) is a world map created in the 14th century in the Catalan school of medieval cartography . Prepared in Palma de Mallorca around 1375 by the Jew Abraham Cresques and his son Jafuda Cresques, commissioned by the Aragonese king Juan I. As a gift to the French king, it has long been kept in Paris (now in the National Library of France ).^[1]

The atlas originally consisted of six sheets of parchment, which were later cut in half and stretched over wooden boards. The first sheets deal with issues of cosmography, astronomy and astrology (in particular, the spherical shape of the Earth is noted). Practical advice for sailors is also provided. The last four sheets of the atlas are an expanded portolan chart with information about overseas countries according to Marco Polo and John Mandeville . North, according to the Arab tradition, is below . The cities' affiliations are indicated by flags.^[2]

• Edson, Evelyn (2007). The World Map 1300-1492. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 74–86. ISBN 978-0801885891.