The Americas, Michael Mercator, Germany, 1595 It took Gerard Mercator 20 years to create the maps for his great atlas. This map of Americas was drawn by his grandson, Michael Mercator. Its compilation marked a turning point in European understanding of the geography of the New World. Source: To The Ends of the Earth:100 Maps that Changed the World

The Way to Rome, Erhard Etzlaub, Germany, c.1500 This map was a guide for the thousands of pilgrims flocking to Rome to celebrate the 1,500th anniversary of the birth of Christ. It was the first route map to be printed. Source: To The Ends of the Earth:100 Maps that Changed the World

Burmese-Chinese Frontier, Shan artist, Burma, 1889 This map was painted by an anonymous artist from Shan, a tribe whose territories straddled Burma’s border with China in the 19th Century. This map was intended to help settle a frontier dispute between the British-protected Shan state of Mong Mao and the Chinese Empire. Source: To the Ends of the Earth: 100 Maps That Changed the World

World Map, Japan, 1853 This world map was probably the last to be issued before the arrival of Commodore Perry's American military and trade mission put an end to Japan's self-imposed isolation from the outside world. Source: To The Ends of the Earth:100 Maps that Changed the World

A Chinese Map of 1790 -- The Eastern Hemisphere, Straatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Germany Source: World History: An Atlas and Study Guide