Terra Australis

The Mercator Map of 1569 showing Terra Australis.

Terra Australis (Latin: Southern land) was a hypothetical continent from the 15th century to the 18th century. The name was eventually given to Australia, while the 7th polar continent discovered was given the name of Antarctica. The idea was that the northern hemisphere needed a 'counterbalance'.

References

  1. ↑ Cameron-Ash, M. (2018). Lying for the Admiralty: Captain Cook's Endeavour Voyage. Sydney: Rosenberg. pp. 19–20. ISBN 978-0-648-04396-6.
  2. ↑ John Noble Wilford: The Mapmakers, the Story of the Great Pioneers in Cartography from Antiquity to Space Age, p. 139, Vintage Books, Random House 1982, ISBN 0-394-75303-8