The first obtainable map of Georgia after George II granted General James Oglethorpe lands in the southeast United States to establish a new colony in 1732.

This highly significant map of the South Eastern United States is the first map to show the newly established colony of Georgia based on original sources directly from the colonists. It was included in Emanuel Bowen’s expanded second edition of the “Navigantium atque Itinerantium Bibliotheca, or Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels,” published in two volumes between 1744-48. Bowen added a completely new set of maps to his edition including this piece on Georgia. 

The original charter grants Oglethorpe the lands from the east coast to the west coast, going through territory held by both the French and the Spanish at the time; however, for practical purposes, Oglethorpe only claimed the land from the east coast to the Mississippi as the French territory of Louisiana was situated west of the river. Despite this, Bowen still claims part of the French territory by placing the first “G” of the name west of the river. Other points of note on this map is the interior detail, including the placing and naming of several Native American settlements which were hitherto unknown to Europeans. The map was hugely influential, establishing a basis for English maps of the region until the War of the American Revolution. In contrast, contemporary French map makers, such as Bellin and Bonne, acknowledged Georgia as a small section of land contained between Spanish Florida and South Carolina.

This is a cornerstone map for any collection of maps focusing on Georgia or the Southeast United States as well as being significant for any collection of maps of the United States.