Map of the Whole of Guiana or the Savage Coast, and the Spanish West Indies at the Northern End of South America, Isaak Tirion, between 1720 and 1769

This 18th-century dutch map, produced in amsterdam by the publisher isaak tirion (circa 1705–circa 1769), shows the northern coast of south american and its offshore islands, including curaçao, bonaire, and neighboring islands; trinidad and tobago; and grenada. Guiana is divided, from west to east, into spanish, dutch, and french sections, corresponding roughly to a part of present-day venezuela and present-day guyana, suriname, and french guiana. The territory to the south of guiana, in present-day brazil, is labeled as portuguese. Three scales are given in the main map: french and english nautical miles; spanish miles; and number of hours needed to cover certain distances. The inset maps provide detailed views of the island of curaçao, the dutch plantations along the essequibo and demerara rivers, and the harbor and castle of curaçao. In 1814 the dutch ceded control of their colonies in essequibo and demerara to the british, who consolidated them into the colony of british guiana, which became the independent state of guyana in 1966. France--colonies; great britain--colonies; netherlands--colonies; portugal--colonies; west indies. Date: between 1720 and 1769. Place of creation: French Guiana. Medium: maps. Collection: Columbus Memorial Library, Organization of American States. Map of the Whole of Guiana or the Savage Coast, and the Spanish West Indies at the Northern End of South America WDL11339