1708 Map of southern & central Africa by Guillaume de L’Isle

The 1708 map of southern Africa by Guillaume De L’Isle, titled Carte du Congo et du Pays des Cafres, avec la Côte d’Afrique depuis le Cap de Bonne Espérance jusqu’au Cap Negro (Map of the Congo and the Land of the Caffres, with the Coast of Africa from the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Negro), represents one of the first scientifically constructed depictions of southern and central Africa produced in the early Enlightenment era. Extending from the Cape of Good Hope north to Cape Negro in Angola and inland to the Congo and Zambezi basins, the map shows the Dutch Cape Colony, the kingdoms of Monomotapa and Congo, and Portuguese outposts along the coasts, while also featuring a large speculative inland lake feeding the Nile. De L’Isle’s work, based on improved astronomical observations and the best reports from explorers, missionaries, and traders, replaced the decorative excesses of 17th-century Dutch maps with a new rational clarity. Yet, despite its scientific ambition, it still carried traces of inherited myth and ethnographic generalisation—labelling vast regions as the Pays des Cafres (“Land of the Caffres”) and perpetuating semi-legendary geography. Published as France sought intellectual parity with Dutch and Portuguese cartography, De L’Isle’s map signified a turning point toward empirical, Enlightenment mapping, capturing the Cape’s growing Dutch presence, the Portuguese sphere in Angola and Mozambique, and the enduring European fascination with Africa’s interior empires and imagined sources of wealth.

This map is a reproduction of a historical map that is now in the public domain. It has been selected for its aesthetic appeal and historical interest and carefully restored and reproduced to preserve its original detail and character.  There may be marks and fold lines visible which add to the authentic look.  The map is printed on 230gsm heavyweight coated paper with a matte finish.  Most old maps were printed on uncoated rag or wood pulp papers and therefore a matte finish best represents the original map.