Map of the month: January

'Islandia' by Andreas Villeius

'Islandia' by Andreas Villeius. Antwerp, 1592.

Detail of illustrations
from 'Islandia'.

'Islandia' was issued in 1592, in 'Theatrum orbis terrarum' by Abraham Ortelius.

Drawn by Andreas Villeius, this map of Iceland was first published in the 1587 French language edition of Ortelius's world atlas.

Bearing more than 200 place names, often poorly translated from Danish, it was based on the work of Icelander Gudbrander Thorlaksson, Bishop of Holdar.

Although notable for its fantastic sea creatures and floating polar bears, it was the most accurate map of Iceland then produced.

Considered to be the first modern atlas, the 'Theatrum orbis terrarum' was first printed in 1570 with freshly-drawn maps based on earlier published works.