From Mare Tenebrorum to Atlantic Ocean: A Cartographical Biography (1470-1900)?

CARLA LOIS

Framing the Ocean

Ashgate (Visual Studies)

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2014; p. 23 - 36

The Atlantic World is one of those few objects that seem to be easily mapped or shown on maps. Quite aside from debates on its limits, its place on a world map appears quite natural and clear. Moreover, any images, including cartographical images, of the Atlantic World are naturally centred on the geographical object that gives its name to this world: the Atlantic Ocean. In other words, it seems to be obvious that the Atlantic World needs an Atlantic Ocean. Nevertheless, the geographical nature of the Atlantic Ocean is not as evident as it seems at first brush, and its historical existence is not ontological nor extemporal. The idea of the Atlantic Ocean itself, the process by which this ocean took its current shape, and its cultural significations, require a more thorough investigation.