Ottoman Admiral Piri Reis Mapped American Coasts in 1513
Created just 21 years after Columbus's first voyage, Piri Reis's 1513 map depicted South America's coastline with remarkable accuracy.
Why / How?
Preserved at Istanbul's Topkapı Palace, the gazelle-skin map includes detailed margin notes where Piri Reis credits roughly 20 earlier Portuguese, Arabic, and Columbus-era charts.