Ottoman admiral Piri Reis drew a world map in 1513 from older sources, including one he said came from Columbus. Some claim its southern coast shows Antarctica without ice. Historians say it is South America's coast, bent to fit the page.
Truth label: Speculative. A fascinating idea without solid evidence yet.
Go deeper
Why the claim spread
Antarctica was not officially seen until 1820, so an earlier map would be extraordinary.
What the map shows
It is a skilled combination of many sources, and one of the oldest maps to show the Americas.
Learn
- Reading old maps. Mapmakers often squeezed coastlines to fit their parchment, which can create shapes that look like other places.
Test yourself
What do most historians think the map's southern coast shows?
South America. It is usually read as a distorted South American coast.
Sources
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