How were the shapes of continents known during the 15th and 16th century when there were no satellites ?

Question

or how were maps so precise with the shapes of continents when there were no aerial measurements possible ?

Answer 1

They used a sextant, but because of clouds the outlines were often inaccurate. Remember Columbus did indeed know that the world was round (late 1400's) but not how big. And his men were not afraid that they would fall off of the planet, they knew of the doldrums where the wind would stop blowing for weeks and weeks at a time beyond the Canary Islands. His mistake was that he was unaware that the earth was so large, so upon seeing dark peoples, he called them Indians from India, since he thought he has just missed China. N and S. America were unknown to Europeans of the 1400s, but were well known to the Norsemen of Scandinavia, who had been there (Greenland, and below) 400 years before. They had even made settlements there, and farmed there, but the weather patterns failed, and they starved, or went back to Scandinavia. Read about it in Wikipedia, if it is there.....

Answer 2

Your question has an error...world maps of the 15th and 16th centuries were not that precise with regard to the shapes of the continents. I mean, they looked somewhat like they should...but some coastlines were off by hundreds of miles. And why do you assume that we always need aerial measurements to make precise maps? World maps of the 19th century were quite accurate without aerial measurements.

You'd be amazed what us ingenious humans can accomplish using ground-based surveying equipment: compasses, sextants, theodolites, and accurate clocks.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

skilled map makers could chart land masses from a ships log. even in those days a position was taken at dusk and before dawn. dozens of ships logs were used to verify a position another capt had reported land. this was vauable information both in raw form and the finished map.

Answer 5

Because the dauntless explorers set out to make the maps by sailing along the coast.

Answer 6

They wrapped a really long piece of string around the edges of the continents, then glued it to really big pieces of paper.

Answer 7

Navigators were brilliant.Using trigionometry(relative positions of stars at different points they could do the survey of whole of India...and its evidences are still found...)

Answer 8

People would sail them in boats until points, and draw out the path they followed.

Answer 9

They put ships on large catapults and launch them into the air.