"Septentrionalium Terrarum Descriptio", Mercator/Cloppenburgh

First state of this reduced version of Mercator's famous map of the North Pole. The hemisphere is surrounded by a finely engraved design with four round insets in each corner. These contain the title, the Faeroe Isles, the Shetland Isles, and the mythical island of Frisland. The North Pole is shown according to legend as a large rock in a giant whirlpool surrounded by four islands separated by rivers. The magnetic pole is depicted as an island in the Strait of Anian. An elaborate river network and large bay is shown in the extreme northwest part of North America. French text on verso with Le Pole Arctique and page number 23 at top right above map.

References: Burden #225.

Condition: A

A nice impression on a sheet with a faint damp stain in the bottom margin and an area of paper weakness on the right plate mark.