From "Asia ex Magna Orbis Terre Descriptione Gerardi Mercatoris Desumpta, Studio et Industria G.M. Iunioris," published c.1613; *the whole map*. This map first appeared in the famous Mercator "Atlas Sive Cosmographicae" of 1595, and was later published until 1633 in Mercator Hondius atlases.

South and Southeast Asia from "Atlas Minor" by *Gerard Mercator* and Jan Hondius, 1609 (with later hand color)
Another edition of this map, from 1610: *the whole map*: *northwest*; *northeast*; *southwest*; *southeast*

Atlas maps from Gerard Mercator, "Atlas Minor, Das ist Ein Kurtze jedoch grandliche Beschreibung der gantzen Welt..." --  the first German edition of the Mercator-Hondius Atlas Minor, published in Amsterdam, 1609. Some other maps from the same atlas, uncolored:

*Alexander's conquests*
*The Roman Empire*

*"Paradise"*
*The wanderings after the Exodus*
*the Holy Land in the time of Christ*
*The journeys of Paul*
*"The Christian world"*

*A beautiful title page from another Mercatur/Hondius atlas, 1609*

*America as "India Nova," in another Mercatur-derived map from 1609*

*South and Southeast Asia, 1610*: *northwest*; *northeast*; *southwest*; *southeast*
*Sri Lanka, 1610*: *northwest*; *northeast*; *southwest*; *southeast*
*Tartaria, 1610*: *northwest*; *northeast*; *southwest*; *southeast*
*Persia, 1610*: *northwest*; *northeast*; *southwest*; *southeast*
[from another atlas edition: *Persia, 1610b*: *northwest*; *northeast*; *southwest*; *southeast*]
*Asia, 1610*: *northwest*; *northeast*; *southwest*; *southeast*
*Ottoman Empire, 1610*: *northwest*; *northeast*; *southwest*; *southeast*
*Africa, 1610*: *northwest*; *northeast*; *southwest*; *southeast*
*Europe, 1610*: *northwest*; *northeast*; *southwest*; *southeast*
*South America, 1610*: *northwest*; *northeast*; *southwest*; *southeast*
*World, 1610*: *northwest*; *northeast*; *southwest*; *southeast*
*North Polar view, 1610*: *northwest*; *northeast*; *southwest*; *southeast*

"*Gerard Mercator* (1512-1594) was born in Rupelmonde, Flanders (Belgium). His father was a poor shoemaker. He was reared by an uncle, whose financial status was what determined his circumstances. In 1530 Gerard entered the University of Louvain. After graduating he studied mathematics and astronomy under Gemma Frisius, a Dutch mathematician, astronomer, cartographer, cosmographer and professor at the university of Louvain. He acquired engraving skills and established himself as a cartographer and instrument & globe maker. When he was 25 years old he drew and engraved his first map (of Palestine) and then produced a map of Flanders (1537), supervising the surveying himself. He went on to do large-scale maps of Europe, the British Isles and the famous World Map on 18 sheets drawn to his new projection. In 1551, Mercator obtained the privilege to print and publish books. In 1552 he moved to Duisburg, Germany, where he worked as 'cosmographer' to the Duke of Cleve and taught grammar school. Mercator became the world's most famous cartographer, second only to Ptolemy. His name became synonymous with a form of map projection still in use today. He was the first to apply the 'Mercator Projection' to navigational charts. His influence transformed land surveying. His research and calculations led him to break away from the Ptolemaic concept of mapping, drastically reducing the longitudinal length of the continents and altering the shape of the Old World as visualized on early sixteenth century maps. After Mercator's death his sons and grandsons, all cartographers, made contributions in various ways to the great Atlas. Rumold, in particular, was responsible for the editions of 1595 and 1602. Mercator's map plates were purchased in 1604 by Jodocus Hondius who issued various editions of the Atlas Minor, in the main European languages, including English. In 1607 Hondius and Jan Jansson published an edition wherein the Maps were engraved by Hondius."