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Theatre of the World

atlas by Ortelius
Also known as: ā€œTheatrum orbis terrarumā€

Quick Summary

The Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, or "Theatre of the World," published in 1570 by Flemish cartographer Abraham Ortelius, is widely considered the first modern atlas. Ortelius, influenced by Gerardus Mercator, compiled 70 maps from various sources, engraved in a consistent style. This collection was immensely popular and was updated in successive editions until 1612. An atlas is a bound collection of maps, often including additional information like geographical data and indexes. The term "atlas" itself was popularized by Mercator, who used the image of the Titan Atlas holding the globe as a frontispiece for his map collections.12

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. Abraham Ortelius
  2. atlas

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