Terra incognita


Terra incognita or terra ignota is a term used in cartography for regions that have not been mapped or documented. The expression is believed to be first seen in Ptolemy's Geography c. 150. The term was reintroduced in the 15th century from the rediscovery of Ptolemy's work during the Age of Discovery. The equivalent on French maps would be terres inconnues, and some English maps may show Parts Unknown.
Similarly, uncharted or unknown seas would be labeled mare incognitum, Latin for "unknown sea".

Details

An urban legend claims that cartographers labelled such regions with "Here be dragons". Although cartographers did claim that fantastic beasts existed in remote corners of the world and depicted such as decoration on their maps, only one known surviving map, the Hunt–Lenox Globe, in the collection of the New York Public Library,
actually says "Here are dragons". However, ancient Roman and Medieval cartographers did use the phrase HIC SVNT LEONES when denoting unknown territories on maps.
Alternatively, 'terra incognita' may also refer to the hypothesized continent Terra Australis Incognita, as seen in the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum map by Abraham Ortelius.
During the 19th century terra incognita disappeared from maps of the earth, since both the coastlines and the inner parts of the continents had been fully explored.
But the bottoms of the seas remain mostly un-mapped, as do many other land surfaces in the solar system.
The phrase is now also used metaphorically by various researchers to describe any unexplored subject or field of research.

Etymology

For more history of the terms, see Terra Australis, and also Etymology at Australia.