Guillaume Delisle

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Guillaume Delisle (1675 –1726) was a French cartographer whose geographical knowledge led him to become the first Premier Royal Geographer with a fixed salary. His father, Claude Delisle (1644–1720), was also an accomplished cartographer. Guillaume Delisle’s first works, "The Map of the World," "The Map of the Continents" and a pair of globes were published in 1700. With these two publications, Delisle quickly established himself as a skilled cartographer.

Guillaume Delisle reformed cartography by introducing the method of using measuring scales and marking landmarks on maps. Delisle applied his training in mathematics and astronomy to develop a more scientific approach to map-making; positions are fixed by astronomical data. In addition, Delisle’s maps often provided the topography of the regions depicted. Hence, while not as ornamental as those of the Dutch mapmakers, Delisle’s maps are much more accurate and precise than those of his contemporaries. His "Carte de la Louisiane et du cours du Mississippi" (1718) was the first detailed map of the interior of the United States. Moreover, Delisle was the first to refute the idea that California is an island as well as the first to situate, correctly, the mouth of the Mississippi River at the Gulf of Mexico.

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Guillaume Delisle

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