Portolan chart

The oldest original cartographic artifact in the Library of Congress: a portolan nautical chart of the Mediterranean Sea. Second quarter of the 14th century.

Portolan charts are nautical charts, first made in the 13th century in the Mediterranean basin and later expanded to include other regions. The word portolan comes from the Italian portolano, meaning "related to ports or harbors", and which since at least the 17th century designates "a collection of sailing directions".[1]

  1. ^ Campbell, Tony. "'Portolan charts from the late thirteenth century to 1500' (Additions, Corrections, Updates)". Map History / History of Cartography: THE Gateway to the Subject. Retrieved 8 December 2018.