File:1741 Covens and Mortier Map of the Northern Hemisphere ( North Pole, Arctic ) - Geographicus - NorthPole-covensmortier-1741.jpg

English: This is a stunning and important map of the Northern Hemisphere originally drawn by Guillaume de L'Isle in 1714 and updated by Coven's and Mortier in 1741. Covers from the North Pole south in all directions to include the Arctic Regions, all of North American, Central America, Asia, and Europe with parts of South America and most of Africa. To either side of the map proper (in French on left side and in Dutch on right side) is a letter written by Monsieur Swartz, a Danish explorer in the service of the Tzar, regarding his c. 1734 - 1740 explorations near Japan and Kamchatka. Covens and Mortier's most interesting updates over the De L'Isle version of this map relate to explorations in North America and in East Asia. North America is drawn as it appeared at the height of the Colonial period. English colonies skirt the east coast, the French control the Great Lakes regions and Louisiana, and the Spanish dominate in Mexico, California and the Southwest. California is drawn connected to the mainland with a dotted line - indicating that European map publishers were not yet prepared to give up on the idea that California may indeed be an Island. Names the city of Quivara, which is one of the lands associated with Spanish legends of the Seven Cities of Gold. Also notes the Sioux and the Apalache peoples. As befits De L'Isle's scientific approach to cartographer much of the unexplored northwest of America remains blank. By contrast the northeast parts of Asia, which had recently been explored by Vitus Bering and Tschirikow, offer a number of interesting elements. The land of Compagnie is shown just the east of Yedso (likely Hokkaido) with a note regarding its mysterious discovery by Jean de Gama. Often called de Gamma Land or Gama, this island was supposedly discovered in the 17th century by a mysterious figure known as Jean de Gama. Various subsequent navigators claim to have seen this land, but it was left to Bering to finally debunk the myth. In 1729, he sailed for three days looking for Juan de Gama land but never found it. Thought it may be little more than a mis-mapping of Hokkaido or the Japanese Kuriles, Gama or Compagnie remained on maps for about 50 years following Bering's voyages until the explorations of Cook confirmed the Bering findings. Japan itself is only vaguely mapped though Edo (Yendo) is indicated. Just to the west the Peninsula of Korea is drawn with a fairly accurate if slightly bulbous form. Further south Formosa and the Philippines are well mapped. Published by Covens and Mortier in their c. 1741 reissue of Guillaume de L'Isle's Atlas Nouveau...