Commissioned by King Alfonso V of Portugal, Venetian monk and cartographer Fra Mauro and his assistant Andrea Bianco completed a world map in 1459. Strange by today’s standards, the map is oriented with the south at the top, as was Arab tradition. Fra Mauro used Marco Polo’s travelogues for information about Asia and was one of the first Western cartographers to represent Japan. The map also features a detailed description of Africa, which encouraged Portuguese exploration. Where is the map now? Discuss