Martin Waldseemueller

In 1507 Martin Waldseemueller ( c 1470 -1521/2) made a world globe and an extensive world map. In Waldseemueller's short geographie treatise "Cosmographiae Introductio" the New World continent is for the first time called "America", named for Amerigo Vespucci.

He reprinted the "Quattuor Americi navigationes" or "Four Voyages of Amerigo" and suggested to call the Southern New World continent "America". "ab Americo Inventore ...quasi Americi terram sive Americam (from Amerigo the discoverer ...as if it were the land of Americus, thus America).

Waldseemueller's suggestion took hold. While North America was still called "Indies" in documents for some time it was eventually called America as well.

This map was hidden, but in 1901 it resurfaced.

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