A rare 17th century map of Australia, one of just two left, has gone on display after it was found in an attic in Sweden.
Archipelagus Orientalis (Eastern Archipelago), was created by Dutch cartographer Joan Blaeu in 1663. A cartographer is a person who draws or produces maps.
The map was thought to have been lost forever, until it was found in storage in Sweden after 350 years.
It has gone on show at Australia’s National Library, its permanent home.
The owners, whose identity is unknown, only realised the rarity of the map when it was sold at auction.
The National Library of Australia acquired it for an estimated price of AU$600,000 (NZ$665,839).
The map includes, for the first time, details of the sighting of Tasmania by Abel Tasman’s crew aboard the Zeehaen in 1642.
It was the most current reflection of Australia at the time of its creation before the template was changed when Captain Cook explored the east coast in 1770.
5 Responses
Wow so surprising??
Wow Thats so amazing I never new about a rare austrailian map wow
Well, that’s cool
Did you know that in the olden days america was not on the maps because they hadnt discovered it! nor was NZ
good news