Terra Australis
Latin term used for hypothetical continent since ancient times
Terra Australis (Latin: Southern land) was a hypothetical continent from the 15th century to the 18th century. The name was eventually given to Australia, while the 7th polar continent discovered was given the name of Antarctica.[1] The idea was that the northern hemisphere needed a 'counterbalance'.[2]
References
change- ↑ Cameron-Ash, M. (2018). Lying for the Admiralty: Captain Cook's Endeavour Voyage. Sydney: Rosenberg. pp. 19–20. ISBN 978-0-648-04396-6.
- ↑ John Noble Wilford: The Mapmakers, the Story of the Great Pioneers in Cartography from Antiquity to Space Age, p. 139, Vintage Books, Random House 1982, ISBN 0-394-75303-8