Taps Coogan – January 10th, 2020

As part of our ongoing series featuring historical video-maps, we present the ‘The Exploration of the World,’ by YouTube creator Costas Melas.

The following map shows the European exploration and discovery of the World, beginning at the dawn of the Classical Greek Age in 500 BC. It continues until the present day and reveals how surprisingly long it took for Western explorers to reach northern North America, the poles, the Amazon and Congo rainforests, and South East Asia. Today, only the depths of the oceans remain largely unexplored and unmapped.

Per a user comment below, it’s worth noting that this video is based on historical maps, so while there may have been East-West trade during antiquity, the Romans didn’t have maps of China and were unaware of it’s geography. Enjoy:

To see other interesting historical maps check out:
The History of the Greeks
Every Year of the Roman Empire
Every Other Day of the Napoleonic Wars
Every Day of World War I
Every Day of World War II
Everyday of World War II in the Pacific
The History of the World Every Year
The Five Largest Cities Throughout History
Every Major Plague Epidemic in History
The Evolution of Modern Government
The Rise of Religions Throughout History
The History of Communism Since 1850
The History of Urbanization
The History of South America
How the World Got Obese
The History of North America
The History of Africa
The History of China Every Year
Every Nuclear Explosion in History
Every Year in The History of the Ottoman Empire
The History of the Middle East
The Loss of Native American Lands Within the US Every Year
Every Ruler in Europe Since 400 BC
Every Day of the Korean War
The Results of Every US Presidential Election in History
Every Week of the American War of Independence
The Rise and Fall of the Mongol Empire
The Population of Every Civilization in Europe Every Year Since 400 BC
The Rise and Fall of the French Empire
The Rise and Fall of the British Empire
The Rise and Fall of the Spanish Empire
The History of the Reconquista
The History of South Asia
The Great Turkish War
Every Other Day of the Russian Civil War
Every Year in the History of the British Isles
Every European Country’s Maximum Extent
The French Invasion of Mexico
Every Ruler of Russia and Its Borders Since 880 AD
The Great Northern War
The Ancient History of the Middle East, Every Year
The Conquests of Alexander the Great, Every Month
The Rise and Fall of the Inca Empire, Every Year
Every Month of the Hundred Years’ War
Ancient Mesoamerica, Every Year
The Rise and Fall of the Hapsburg Dynasty
Every Year in the History of Scandinavia
The Largest Cities in North America Since 900 BC
The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire
4,500 Years of Battles in One Time-Lapse Map
Every Year and Ruler in the History of Egypt
The Rise and Fall of the Italian Maritime Republics
Every Day of the English Civil War
The Five Largest Cities in Europe Every Year Since 1200 AD
Every Single Year in the History of Civilization in Asia
Every Year in the History of England
The Human Population for the Last 2000 Years
The Largest Empires in History
Every Other Day of the American Revolution
The History of Coins & Currency Until 1500 AD
The History of Coins & Currency – 1500 to 2019 AD
The Reconquest of Rome
Every Ten Days of the Chinese Warlord Era
The History of the EU
Every Day of the Mexican-American War
The Spread of Buddhism from 500 BC to 1200 AD
The History of the British Isles Since 100 BCE
The Spread of the Black Death
Ur, Babylon, and the Ancient Middle East – Every Year
The Rise and Fall of the Portuguese Empire
Every Year in the History of Armenia
Every Year in the History of the Byzantine Empire
The History of European Writing and Alphabets
The History of Christianity in Europe
Every Year in the History of Tibetan People
The Rise and Decline of Ancient Greek Religion
The Great Medieval Voyages of Exploration
The Territorial History of France
Every Day of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War
Barbarian Invasions and the Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Every Year of the Crusades