Maps: A 17th-Century Korean View of the World

December 1, 2021 by Neely Tucker

Tae Choson Chido, made circa 1874. Artist unknown. Geography and Map Division.

This is a guest post by Ryan Moore, a senior cataloging specialist in the Geography and Map Division. It first ran in the Library of Congress Magazine May-June 2021 issue.

Ch’onhado is a type of Korean quasi-cosmographical depiction that means “map of the world beneath the heavens.”

Koreans developed this view in the 17th century, and it remained popular until the 19th century. Scholars debate its origins but agree that the perspective is uniquely Korean. It exists in many iterations and often was included in atlases.

Sino-centricity is an essential element of the Cho’nhado.

In the Tae Choson Chido, above, China is front and center, shown as a red circle with a yellow interior. Korea — known as Choson — is a yellowed-bordered rectangle with a red interior. To its right is Japan, pictured as a yellow rectangle.

The proximity of these lands is relatively correct. The surrounding rings of land and sea, however, represent both real and mythological peoples and places, whose source was primarily classical Chinese literature.

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Researcher Stories: Armand Lione and the Search for Native American History in D.C.

November 15, 2021 by Wendi Maloney

American Indians walked the land where the nation’s capital city now stands long before Europeans arrived. Local historian Armand Lione shares that history when he talks about his research, much of which is conducted at the Library of Congress.

Native American Maps (and Ideas) that Shaped the Nation

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Native American historical influences on the United States, in everything from state names to influences for the U.S. Constitution, are apparent everywhere you look.

Maps: The (Bright) Side of the Moon

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The Aeronautical Chart and Information Center of the U.S. Air Force created this photo-mosaic map of the moon in 1962, as part of the nation’s drive to put astronauts on the moon by the end of the decade.

The Islamic World Map of 1154

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In 1154, Arab Muslim geographer al-Idrisi, working at the behest of King Roger of Sicily, created a huge map of the known world. The map was more than 9 feet long and composed of 70 separate section maps. The Library preserves a 1928 recreation of this map.

Marie Tharp: Mapping the Ocean Floor

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The remarkable career of Marie Tharp, the cartographer and scientist who helped map the ocean’s floor for the first time in history, is preserved in her papers at the Library. A pioneering female scientist of 20th century, her work help lay the groundwork for the modern understanding of continental drift and plate tectonics.

Maya Blue and the Vessels of the Diving Gods

August 5, 2021 by Neely Tucker

The ceramics created by ancient Maya potters make for some of the most vibrantly colored objects that survive in the archaeological record of the Americas. John Hessler, curator of the Library’s Kislak collection, explains how their distinctive blue color has survived for centuries.

The Birth Certificate for “America”

June 10, 2021 by Neely Tucker

German cartographer Martin Waldseemuller’s 1507 world map was the first to name the New World as “America,” for the Italian-born explorer, Amerigo Vespucci. The Library holds the only copy of the map known to still exist.

The Path to Nirvana, from an 18th Century Buddhist Carving

April 28, 2021 by Neely Tucker

The Library’s Geography and Map Division recently acquired a rare 18th-century carving of a Theravada Buddhist cosmography that originated in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). The Library’s John Hessler translates and explains the nine-foot-tall carving.

Poet Laureate Joy Harjo Gets a Third Term; Launches “Living Nations, Living Words”

November 19, 2020 by Neely Tucker

Joy Harjo, the first Native American to serve as the U.S. Poet Laureate, will serve a third term in the office, the Librarian of Congress announced today.