Amerigo Vespucci's contribution to the Waldseemüller map
The depiction of the Western Hemisphere in Waldseemüller's 1507 world map is based on a map by Vespucci, who used the results of Spanish and Portuguese voyages of discovery for it. The naming of South America with the name "America" in the 1507 world map was not a mistake, as it was primarily used to honour the cartographer Vespucci. The depiction of the Pacific coast of South America in Waldseemüller's map was not speculative. It was based on exploration. The exploration of the Pacific coast of South America was very probably based on Vespucci's participation. An important indication of this is that the astronomical determination of latitude in the southern hemisphere could only take place on the basis of such lengthy astronomical observations, for which Vespucci laid the groundwork during his earlier voyages.
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