The "mappa mundi" seen from the top of the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) in Belém, Lisbon,Portugal.

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The compass rose (Rosa-dos-Ventos) and mappa mundi (world map), viewed from the top of the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) in Belém, Lisbon,Portugal. The 50 metre diameter rose and map was a gift from the Republic of South Africa and was created from various types of marble. It was designed by the architect Cristino da Silva, and it includes a Mappa mundi that 14 metres wide, showing the routes of Portuguese carracks and caravels during the Age of Discovery. Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) is a monument on the northern margin of the Tagus River estuary, in the civil parish of Santa Maria de Belém, Lisbon. Located along the river were ships departed to explore and trade with India and Orient, the monument celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery (or Age of Exploration) during the 15th and 16th centuries

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Size: 3990px × 2600px
Location: Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) in Belém, Lisbon,Portugal.
Photo credit: © Derek Gale / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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