Terra Australis Incognita

Antarctica was even referred to as Nondum Cognita and Terra Australis Incognita on other maps in the late 1600s. Cartographers had more to work with by this time, though. With explorers having documented islands and ice masses in the area, mapmakers could pinpoint where the continent didn’t exist.

It took almost two more centuries before humans could develop Antarctica renditions that resemble what it actually looks like today. Even without a camera’s help, people could note the peaks and camp locations they saw and then depict them as varying shades on paper.