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Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 08:58:38 +0100
From: Jan Smits <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Largest map
Sender: Jan Smits <[log in to unmask]>
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Reply-To: Jan Smits <[log in to unmask]>
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I remember that in the past some boasts concerning the largest map or globe
have appeared on this list.
When it is true the following may vie for first place:
 
Reliefmap of Guatemala and British Honduras, created by Francisco Vela in 1905
after 19 month of labour, with horizontal scale of 1:10,000 and vertical scale
of 1:2,000, covering a surface of 1,800 square metres. It is said that the map
was made of cement mortar on top of an iron frame and it didn't suffer from the
1917 earthquake in Guatemala city, where the map was situated.
 
An article concerning the map and a photograph with superimposed toponyms
appeared in Petermanns Geographische Mitteilungen, vol. 72 (1926) in German with
the title: "Velas Reliefkarte, ein Mittel zur geographisch-geologischen
Betrachtung der Republik Guatemala / von Friedrich Mu[e]llerried", pp. 212-214.
The photograph also shows a viewing platform.
According to the text the map is constructed in a compound for recreation and
recuperation of children in Guatemala city, but it doesn't give more precise information.
 
Jan Smits
 
Jan Smits
Map Curator Koninklijke Bibliotheek, National Library of The Netherlands
SKD: Department for Cartographical Documentation
P.O. Box 90.407
2509 LK Den Haag
The Netherlands
tel: +31 70 3140241
fax: +31 70 3140450
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
E-mail: [log in to unmask] (encoded)
 
President Groupe des Cartothecaires de LIBER (GdC, European Map Curators Group)
Chairman Working Group for Mapcuratorship, Dutch Cartographic Society (NVK)
IFLA Representative for the ICA Commission on Standards for the Transfer of Spatial Data
WWW-SKD: http://www.konbib.nl/kb/skd/karto-en.html
WWW-GdC: http://www.konbib.nl/kb/skd/liber/intro.htm
WWW-personal: http://www.konbib.nl/persons/jan-smits/homepage.htm
 
Na matheis kai na matheis ap'tous spoudasmenous
(To learn and still to learn from those who know
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