This map was created by Gerardus Mercator to compensate for the shortcomings of his projection in covering the polar regions. Mercator created this map using a polar projection called Northern Lands (from the northern lands) a few years before his death. In 1595, it would be included in his posthumous atlas as an appendix to the world map located in the lower left corner.
In addition to being the first map in history to cover the North Pole regions, this map also includes a reference to Black Rock, a large magnetised metal structure that many sailors believed was the reason why compasses always pointed north.
This particular copy is an edition produced around 1606 by Jodocus Hondius, with some modifications to the original work, such as the inclusion of a series of Spitsbergen, the main island of the Svalbard archipelago, recently discovered by the Danes.
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English (UK) _-_Geographicus_-_NorthPole-mercator-1606.jpg){kind=link}