A photograph of coastal southern Cuba. Credit to havana-guide.com. Although we typically focus on individual charts, today’s article features a pair of them. Today’s maps are an antique pair of 143-year-old nautical charts of Cuba. These charts are decently sized, at 37 inches long by 24 inches wide each. Each chart has minor soiling, with miscellaneous dark spots or discolouration. These charts focus on the Eastern & Western Cuba, along with surrounding islands such as Isla

Today’s chart is a primordial 169-year-old map of the South Atlantic Ocean, featuring both the coasts of South America & the coast of West Africa. The chart is fairly large, at 51 inches long by 38 inches wide. It is in beautiful condition for its age, apart from a small hole in one of its compass roses. Its blemishes & soiling are consistent with use at sea. In today’s article, we are going to examine this antique map, discuss it, & analyze it. With that being said, let’s de

An idyllic photograph of a sea arch in Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory. Credit to bThere Magazine. Today’s chart is an ancient 375-year-old map of the Caribbean, from Puerto Rico to Trinidad. The chart is moderately sized, at 20 inches long by 16 inches wide. It features the Caribbean Sea, & numerous Caribbean islands. It is in brilliant condition for its age, with few spots or signs of wear along the edges. In today’s article, we are going to examine this antique map,

A photograph of the Space Needle as seen from downtown Seattle. This prominent building is featured on today’s nautical chart, & is easily visible from the coastline. Credit to Insight Pest Solutions. Today’s map is a relatively modern 58-year-old nautical chart of Seattle, Washington. The chart is fairly large, at 33.7 inches long by 46 inches wide. It features the entire Seattle Harbour as it was in 1966, along with depth measurements for the entire area. It is in amazing c

A photograph taken of the verdant lush Great Abaco Island, featured in the Bahamian extension of today’s map. Credit to seaglassfound.com. Today’s nautical chart is a timeworn 189-year-old map of the Eastern Coast of the United States, from Florida to Massachusetts. The chart is extraordinarily large, being 122 inches long & 29 inches wide. It includes a rare extension featuring a chart of the Bahamas. It is in fantastic condition for its time, & has minor soiling consistent

Today’s nautical chart is an ancient 278-year-old map of South Asia, & the Indo-Pacific. Until the early 1500s, maps & information about South Asia were not widely available across Europe. As the ability to mass-produce maps grew across Europe, information from all corners of the world began to reach the continent. The map is moderately sized at 34.5 inches wide, & 20.5 inches long. Uncharacteristically for the time, the chart is brightly coloured with greens, reds, yellows,

One of the earliest photographs of the Pacific Ocean was taken in 1909. This photograph was taken along the rocky coastline of Monterey, California—Credit to Revive Salvage. Today’s nautical chart is an ancient, 354-year-old map of the Pacific Ocean, by the English. This map is of incredible historical importance, as it is the first map of the Pacific Ocean created by the English. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on planet Earth, & was unknown to many Europeans until Va

Today’s nautical chart is a 166-year-old nautical map of the Florida Keys, from Ramrod Key to Boca Grande Key! The Florida Keys are a magnificent set of islands off the coast of the Florida Panhandle in the United States. They are known for their distinctive wildlife, relaxing resorts, & beautiful beaches. They are located in the Gulf of Mexico, from The chart depicts the lower portion of the Florida Keys, known as the Southern Keys. The chart is in English, & contains a trem

A stunning photograph of the Jurassic Coast along Southern England. England is one of the primary subjects of today’s nautical chart. Credit to Yohantha Gunawarma. Today’s antique nautical chart is a 168-year-old chart of the British Isles! The chart depicts the entirety of the British Isles, Ireland, & the tides around said areas. The British Isles are the islands the administrative region of the Isle of Man, & the United Kingdom. The chart showcases the tides of Northweste

Today’s vintage nautical chart is a 51-year-old chart of Santa Monica Bay, California, USA! This chart depicts the entirety of Santa Monica Bay, a well-known bay immediately west of Los Angeles known for its vibrant marine scenes, natural beauty, & economic importance. It showcases the developments around the bay as well, including Los Angeles International Airport, the Pacific Palisades, Palos Verdes, & El Segundo. However, these various developments have all proliferated si

Today’s antique nautical chart in our Ode to Oceanography series is an intriguing, 198-year-old nautical chart of Copenhagen, Denmark! This chart showcases the “Kattegat”, which is a sea passage between the North Sea & Baltic Sea, between Denmark & Sweden. This map depicts the entirety of the passage, along with parts of northeastern Denmark, & Southwestern Sweden. The map is mostly in Danish, making it difficult to understand for many primary English speakers, however, the i

A gorgeous photograph of the Hawaiian Day Octopus, a creature that we covered in a previous article about the Hawaiian Island of Lanai. This octopus is known for its vibrant blue spots, symbolism in Hawaiian Culture, & conniving intellect. Credit to underwater photographer Teresa Zubi. Today’s map in the Ode to Oceanography series is a lovely, 108-year-old, nautical chart of Hawaii, then referred to as the “Territory of Hawaii”, as it had not yet reached statehood. This chart

Today’s map in the Ode to Oceanography series is a beautiful, 103-year-old map of Antarctica, then referred to as the “South Polar Regions,” by John Bartholomew, an esteemed British cartographer known for his vast collection of maps and for being the man who named Antarctica. This chart covers the entirety of all then-discovered regions of the Antarctic Continent, along with the surrounding oceans. The map features a large amount of bathymetric information, with the colour of

Today’s map in the Ode to Oceanography series is a gorgeous, nearly century-old map of the Caribbean by mapmaker J. W. Norie. This chart covers the entirety of the northern Windward Isles, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and parts of Cuba. It covers a very large part of the Gulf of Mexico and its surrounding areas, covering approximately 64,395 square miles (166,782 square kilometers). The map is in extraordinary condition, with every line as clear & crisp as the day that it w

Today’s Ode to Oceanography series map is an ancient nautical chart of the Southeastern United States. This map is of the coast of the Southeastern United States from Cape Fear in North Carolina to Saint Augustine, in Northern Florida. It encompasses the states of Georgia, South Carolina, & partially covers Florida & North Carolina. The map is in reasonable condition & has been re-backed, & restored using various techniques, although it does have a few slight dark markings i

In today’s article, we are going to discuss an Antique Nautical Chart of Tokyo Bay. This map comes courtesy of Maps Of Antiquity, an antique map shop in New England. Tokyo Bay is a bay located in Japan’s Southern Kanto Region, & is named after the city of Tokyo. The bay is very large, stretching to Tokyo in the North, & Yokosuka in the south. It is one of the largest industrial areas in all of Japan, & one of the most populous areas as well. In this article, we are going to d

Today’s map is an antique map of Taiwan, & the Island of Luzon, The Philippines. Taiwan is a large island off the coast of China, in the northern Pacific Ocean, while the isle of Luzon is the largest island in the Philippine Archipelago, with the largest population of any Philippine isle. The chart spans a decent amount of land, covering approximately 800 miles of the Pacific Ocean. The map is in fair condition, apart from a stain near the upper right corner, a stain near th

Today’s map is an antique map of the Southern Pacific Ocean. The Southern Pacific Ocean is a region from the Pacific Ocean spanning from the southern side of the Equator to Southern Chile. The area spans approximately 12,726 kilometers across. The map is in fantastic condition, apart from yellowing in the upper right corner, wrinkles, & a few small creases. These imperfections are consistent with being used on a ship, meaning this map was likely used by a group of sailors. T

Today’s map is an antique map of the coastline of the Carolinas. The Carolinas are the states of North & South Carolina, located in the South Eastern Area of the United States. Combined, they occupy approximately 85,839 square miles, with a combined coastline of over 3,565 miles long. The map is in decent condition, as it has been restored. There is very little damage around the map, & all place names, geographic features, & waterways are clearly marked. The chart is approxi

Today’s map is an antique map of Puget Sound, Washington. Puget Sound is a sound in northern Washington, with several large cities such as Tacoma and Seattle along its coastline. The sound is comprised of a very complex network of waterways going between Washington and Canada. The sound is quite large, with an area of approximately 1,020 square miles (2641.788 square kilometers). The map is in great condition, apart from some small stains on the upper part of the map. The di