Islands Gallery

16th century map of Venice

16th century map of Venice showing the lagoon. Venice is a coastal city in the north-east of Italy. The main bulk of Venice is in the upper frame of the image and the large canal at the left is the Grand Canal. The Gallery of Maps in the Vatican Museums holds maps which were commissioned between 1578 and 1580 to show the regions of Italy and territories of the church. The maps are based on the work of Ignazio Danti, a 16th century Italian priest, mathematician, astronomer and cosmographer, and are an important record of 16th century geography. Here the many islands on which Venice is built can be seen.

© SHEILA TERRY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Scotland, UK, satellite image

Scotland, UK. North is at top. Natural colour satellite image showing Scotland in the United Kingdom, with the surrounding territories shaded out. The UK consists of the island of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland (bottom left). Together these islands constitute the British Isles. Great Britain itself consists of Scotland (green), England (bottom right), and Wales (not seen). The Atlantic Ocean (blue, upper left), Irish Sea (blue, bottom centre), North Sea (blue, right) and Celtic Sea (not shown) surround the British Isles. Image compiled from data acquired by the LANDSAT 5 and 7 satellites, in 2000. Images highlighting all other regions of this country are available. For further information please

© PLANETOBSERVER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Italy, Sardinia, Santa Teresa Gallura, Capa Testa, Rene di Levante beach

© Jane Sweeney / AWL Images

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