This is an example of a bad map. It is not labeled effectively (even in Portugese), is rife with 'Map Crap' (witness the 'Indians' in the lower center), and is difficult to interpret. Christopher Columbus produced this map circa 1490 to support his belief that there was a direct Westbound route from Spain to the spice trade in Asia. Fortunately, he stumbled upon another land mass (the Bahamas and Central America) and decided to return; sans spice.He did however, predict the 'trade winds' circulated clock-wise in the Atlantic Ocean, otherwise he could have never returned to Europe.
Hmmm. My "not so good" map was also from Portugal. It's no wonder Columbus never knew where he was. Given their lack of cartographic skills, I'm beginning to suspect that the Portugese reputation as explorers is more a result of their comfort with wandering around blindly and bumping into stuff and less the result of any navigational skill.
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