Gangnido, the Oldest Map of Africa-Eurasia Made by the Joseon Dynasty

Kapanlagi.com - One of South Korea's world-class heritages is the Afro-Eurasia map. This map is a world map drawn in the early 15th century. The map named Gangnido has the meaning of a world map that must be known.

Gangnido itself is an abbreviation of Honil-Gangni-Yeokdae-Gukdo-Jido. This map was made in 1402, about 10 years after the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty. The map, created by the Deputy Prime Minister, combines various maps from Korea, China, and Japan. Not only that, Africa is also included, making it over 100 years older than any map in Europe.

1. Unparalleled in that Era

Gangnido Map © blog.naver.com

As mentioned earlier, this map includes Africa in it. It is even depicted in detail, such as the African Coast and the Nile River. Of course, this makes Gangnido an unparalleled map in that era.

The existence of Gangnido, created at that time, made Joseon (Korea) exceptionally knowledgeable about the world. This demonstrates the high level of literacy, knowledge, and culture possessed by the Joseon dynasty.

2. Praised by English Historians

© contents.history.go.kr

As reported by the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK), it is known that this map was used as a cover for the book 'the History of Cartography in the Traditional East and Southeast Asian Societies' published by the University of Chicago Press.

Even in another book, 'Cartographia: Mapping Civilizations' written by Vincent Virga and the U.S. Library of Congress, it is evaluated that no map can be compared to Gangnido! English historian Joseph Needham also praised Gangnido as the best map of that time.

(kpl/mit)