The Spread of Geographic Information on the Korean Peninsula as Seen through Ancient Maps

This is a map of Southeast Asia which was included in the Travel Guide: Jan Huyghen Van Lischoten, His Discours of Voyages into the East and West Indies. On this map, the left side points to the north, and CHINA, COREA, and JAPAN are displaced. At the bottom of China, India and other countries in Southeast Asia are depicted in detail. Furthermore, India and three other countries in Northeast Asia are differentiated using separate colors.           

The Korean peninsula is marked as ‘Island of Korea(ILHA DE COREA)’ in the shape of a circle, and ‘Coast of Coray(Costa de conray)’ and ‘Island of Thieves(I.dos Ladrones)’ are written as well. In addition, a small island that belonged to Coray(Korea) is drawn on the upper part of the map.

This map was created by Luís Teixeira, the official Spanish royal cartographer, and included in the book Theatre of the World (Theatrum Orbis Terrarum), by Abraham Ortelius. This is the first Western map on which only the Korean peninsula and the Japanese Islands are drawn.

Korea is drawn as a long island and marked as the Island of Korea(COREA INSULA). In the inland sections, the names of ‘Goryeo(Corij)’ and ‘Joseon(Tauxem)’ are written, along with the name ‘The Island of Thieves(Ilhas dos Ladrones)’ on Jeju Island.

This is a map of Southeast Asia from Fernão Vaz Dourado's Atlas which was a facsimile printed by the Portuguese government in 1948. It was made after collecting marine charts copied by the marine cartographer, Fernão Vaz Dourado. 

It includes the Korean peninsula, China and Japan. Korea appears in the shape of sweet potato on the right, and Japan as a shrimp-shaped island nearby. ‘Conrai Coast(Costa de Conrai)’ was inscribed across the Korean Peninsula and the Chinese continent, ‘Conrai’ referring to Goryeo. It was the first Western map to write a Korean country name on the Korean Peninsula.

This is a Map of Asia produced by Nicolas Sanson who was the most influential cartographer in Europe in the mid-17th century. 

Korea is recognized as an island called Corey, and place names are marked as Joseon(Tauxem), Goryeo(Corey), and Jeju island(I.d.Larrons). On the top right corner of the map, the coastline along the northwestern coast is omitted, and the names of serveral kingdoms are recorded, with an imaginary strait indicated as the Strait of Anián(Destroit d’Anian).

This map was produced by Vincenzo Maria Coronelli, an Italian monk and geographer. Centered on China, Formosa(Taiwan), the Korean Peninsula, and even the Great Wall of China at the northern end of China are depicted.

Korea is marked as ‘COREY’, ‘COREA’, and ‘TIOCENCOUK’, and the local names are recorded in detail such as Ap-lok river(Yalo), Pyengan-do(Pinggan), Hamgyong-do(Hienking), Jeolla(Ciuenlo), Gyeongsang(Kingsan), Chungcheong(Chiuncing), and Jeju(ISLE FUNGMA).

Above the title of the map, there is an ‘IHS’ monogram symbolizing the Society of Jesus and a record that is dedicated to Antonio Baldigiani, a Jesuit and professor at the Roman College. Also, it is decorated with a globe, a compass, a quadrant, and a sundial required for a voyage.

This map was produced by Vincenzo Maria Coronelli, an Italian monk and geographer. Influenced by Martino Martini’s map in 1655, Coronelli divided Joseon into eight provinces, but the location and regional names are incorrect. 

The Korean Peninsula is marked as Korea and Joseonkuk(COREA et TIOCENCOUK), and Jeju island is recorded as ‘Is Qiaiungma’. Each region and mountain range in Korea, such as Daedong River(Tatung) and Han River(Hanghai), is recorded on the map, providing more detailed information related to the topography and the place names than Martini’s map.

This is the Map of Asia created by French cartographer Nicolas Sanson in the 17th century. Sanson left a comment on the Map of Asia that it was difficult for him to produce the chart, since the size of China is inaccurate and differs according to the sources who report on it. Therefore, if you look at maps produced by Sanson around the same time, on each map the location of Beijing is different, and the Korean peninsula is sometimes drawn as an island, or at other times, a peninsula.

However, this map was drawn based on atlases by J. Blaeu and Martini. Therefore, Korea is depicted as a peninsula, not an island. On this map, Korea is marked as ‘Kingdom of Korea’(ROYAUME DE LA COREE), and the East Sea as ‘MER DE COREE’, with Jeju island as ‘I.de Quelpaerts’ respectively.

This is the Map of Korea and Japan included in the atlas, On the Mystery of the Sea. There are three maps including Korea in Chapter 2 of Volume 1: a whole map of Asia, a whole map of the Korean peninsula, and a map on which only part of the eastern coast of Korea is marked.

On this nautical chart, Korea is drawn as a long oval shape, and the Joseon dynasty is described with the words ‘Kingdom of Korea is a peninsula(Regno di Corai, é Penisola)’ in Italian. In addition, the East Sea is marked as Sea of Korea(MARE DI CORAI) and is the second oldest Western chart upon which ‘Sea of Korea’ is marked. Regarding the place names of Korea, only two are written: Joseon(Tauxem) and Corai.

This Map of Asia was co-produced by The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge in London, UK, and The Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. The cartographer, John Senex, was a geographer to Queen Anne of Great Britain who ordered the creation of the major charts in the 18th century. 

The Korean peninsula is marked as ‘Peninsula’ and the East Sea as ‘THE EASTERN OR COREA SEA’ respectively. In the case of Jeju Island, it is indicated as both ‘Fungma’ and ‘Quelpaerts I.’ at the same time.

Famous French geographer, Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville created this complete map of Korea, the first one to be published in the West. Korea is shown as a sovereign nation, but the place names are written to reflect transliterated Chinese characters, not Korean. Therefore, the capital city is indicated as ‘KING-Ki-TAO’, and ‘Capitale de la Corée’ is written below it. D'Anville’s map is evaluated as the most accurate Korean map until the map that surveyed the seas adjacent of the Korean peninsula was released in the 19th century.

‘Dokdo(Usan-do)’ is written as ‘Tchian-chan-tao’, again based on the Chinese pronunciation, because ‘Usan-do(于山島)’ was incorrectly written as Cheonsando(千山島) due to another confusion. 

As production of D'Anville’s Map of Korea was based on the Map of the Qing Dynasty, misspellings of Chinese and Roman characters for Dokdo Island and Usando were quoted as they were. ‘Ulleungdo’ was written as ‘Fan-ling-tao’. This mistake was based on the Chinese pronunciation, as they confused Ulleungdo with Beomneungdo(範陵島) or Banneungdo(攀陵島•礬陵島). 

Katay Map refers to ‘a map of China’s Jin Dynasty’. Korea is identified as ‘CORÉE’, and the East Sea is designated as ‘MER DE CORÉE’ in French mixed with ‘ZEE VAN KORÉA’ in Dutch. In addition, the French scale is used.

In the Sea of Korea, Tsushima Island is likewise shown, although Ulleungdo and Dokdo are not labeled.

The East Sea is described as ‘Sea of Korea’(MARE DI CORAI). In addition, the names for the eight provinces of Joseon are clearly recorded as Jeolla Do(TSVEN-LO), Chungcheong-do(CHU-SIN), Gyeongsang-do(KIN-SHAN), Gyeonggi-do(KING-KI), Hwanghae-do(WHANG-HAY), Gangwon-do(KYANG-YWEN), Pyongan-do(PING-NGAN), and Hangyeong-do(HYEN-KING). In addition, the colors on the map vary depending on the ‘do’(province).

Ulleungdo is marked as ‘FANG-LING-TAU’ and Dokdo as ‘CHIANG-SAN-TAU’(千山島), following Chinese pronunciation, with Dokdo depicted as being closer to the peninsula than Ulleungdo. The East Sea is described as ‘Sea of Korea’(MER DE COREE).