The first world map, known as the Imago Mundi, was created by a Greek philosopher named Anaximander in the 6th century BCE. It was a circular map with the Mediterranean Sea at its center and the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa arranged around it. Anaximander's map was based on the prevailing geographical knowledge of the time, which was limited to the regions surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. As exploration and knowledge of the world expanded, so did the accuracy and detail of world maps. The first map to show the Americas was created by Waldseemüller in 1507 and the first map to accurately depict the continents and oceans was created by Mercator in 1569.
