THE MAP OF THE WORLD (or “Chonhado”) was depicted as a flat surface, which was consistent with the Korean belief that the earth was flat. However, from the oldest known examples (perhaps from the sixteenth century) to almost the end of the tradition, the content and structure of these maps changed very little. Beyond the immediate East Asian region, the geography became less real and more exotic.
“Chonhado” (World Map) from Chonha Chido (Map of the World). Hand-copied manuscript map. Korea, mid-eighteenth century. Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress
