Known as the cartographic "rule of ethnocentricity," the placement of one's own territory at the center of a world map is an almost-universal feature of cartographic devices, including cosmic diagrams of pre-Columbian North American Indians; ancient Babylonia, Greece, and China; and the medieval maps of the Islamic world or Christian Europe.

The delineation of "north" at the top of a map and "south" at the bottom is not a convention adhered to by all cultures. There is no "top" or "bottom" in space. This depiction of land masses conveys a message of superiority for areas located in the Northern Hemisphere. This perspective has become our customary manner to arrange the continents of North and South America, the north and south of the North American continent, and the north and south circum-Caribbean region.

To the Viewer:

Many of these images are large and the download may take a moment. If the download time takes too long, please turn the AUTO LOAD switch on your browser off.

Click on images to view larger images and additional information.

Identification labels reflect original spelling and capitalization contained in the maps. Such words as "Missisipi," "shewing," and "copyed" were accepted spellings in previous centuries.

Planiglobium Terrestre Minus(Global Map of the World)	Shintei Bankoku Zenzu	Fejérváry Screenfold
Carte de la Rivierre de Mississippi..., (Map of the Mississippi...)	Birds-Eye View of the Course of the Mississippi, and the Seat of War in Tennessee and the Vicinity