A world of difference

By John Hooper

Not the least charming aspect of the Borgia Map is that no one knows why or by whom it was made. It was found in Portugal in 1794 by Cardinal Stefano Borgia and added to his rich collection of treasures from what he termed the "four parts of the world". Today, his artefacts and antiquities are mostly scattered between Naples and Rome, where the Borgia Map is to be found in the Vatican Museums.

It is engraved on two copper plates, 63cm (24 inches) across, which have been riveted together. Experts say it dates from the mid-15th century—but its creator was blithely unaware of many of the discoveries made by then. There is, for instance, no trace of the Canary Islands, which had been colonised in 1402.