A Brief History of Nautical Charts
In recent years, many aspects of our lives have become digitised, and even the sailing world has been impacted. However, here in Aus, paper charts still play a significant role in the maritime industry, and we don’t see them going anywhere anytime soon.
In this article, we take a close look at nautical charts and their fascinating history!
What is a Nautical Chart?
Not to be confused with a map, a nautical chart is used to navigate waterways and typically has the following information:
- Water depths
- Land heights
- Anchorages
- Coastlines
- Navigational hazards:
- Tides and currents
Timeline
14th Century BC
One of the first records comes from the 14th century BC in the form of the Turin papyrus map, which clearly indicates the Mediterranean Sea. The map also included anchorages, ports, and other landmarks that would have been incredibly useful to sailors of the time. However, this was still a map and not a nautical chart.
1311
The Portolan Chart was the very first instance of a nautical, navigational chart and was used as a wayfinding tool thanks to its detailed descriptions of shores. The chart was produced in Genoa and was created by Petrus Vesconte.
15th and 16th Centuries
The 15th and 16th centuries are often referred to as the ‘Age of Discoveries’ as this is when explorers were discovering distant lands. During this period, nautical charts became more sophisticated, and plenty of ‘new’ shorelines were mapped out and detailed for the first time.
The 16th century was also when Spanish and Portuguese cartographers began producing nautical charts.
19th Century
Global trade increased dramatically during the 19th century, and with it the demand for accurate nautical charts. Now it was possible to obtain a detailed nautical chart for almost anywhere in the world!
Modern Day
In the modern day and age, there have been plenty of technological advances that have helped develop both paper maps and digital maps. Detailed nautical information is now available at the touch of a button.
Are you looking to purchase Aus paper charts? Look no further than Boat Books, your experts in nautical charts and maritime books.
