Warping Waldseemüller: A Cartometric Study of the Coast of South America As Portrayed on the 1507 World Map

Abstract

In an attempt to shed some light on the problem of Martin Waldseemüller’s portrayal of the shape of South America on his important 1507 world map, polynomial warping algorithms and regression analysis are applied to the coastlines of South America on his map and the known coastal outline. Correlation coefficients are calculated and regression curves are analyzed for inflection point behavior in order to quantitatively compare the geometries of both coastlines. High correlations have been found between both shapes suggesting the possibility of Waldseemüller’s use of empirical data in mapping the South American continent rather than pure chance.