Map of Africa drawn by Gerhard Mercator, Jr., based on his grandfather’s map of 1569. The shape of the continent is quite accurate, although the coastline, particularly in the west, is strongly indented. Attempting to map the continent’s rivers and lakes based on traveler’s descriptions, Mercator came up with a pattern that was imaginative and wildly inaccurate. The Manicongo (Congo) River connects up both to the Nile and to a network of rivers that empty into the Indian Ocean. In addition to the standard fictional lakes as sources for the Nile, we see tributaries extending from the Horn of Africa to continent’s southern tip. We also see Prester John is seated on his throne in the Kingdom of Nubia. This example was published by the Hondius family. Like all Hondius maps, it is quite decorative, with a nicely colored scrollwork cartouche.

Koeman, Me 16.