Template:POTD/2009-10-22
An early 14th-century portolan chart showing the Mediterranean Sea from the Balearic Islands to the Levantine coast, as well as the western part of the Black Sea. These types of charts are rough navigational maps based on realistic descriptions of harbors and coasts provided by medieval European sailors. This particular specimen is the oldest original cartographic work in the United States Library of Congress.Map: Unknown; Restoration: Lise Broer