Errors of Source
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Cape Verde 277, 286
 

     In 1952 Cape Verde issued a set of ten stamps which included two stamps with maps which show a portion of the east coast of Africa, and the Cape Verde islands.

 

SCN 277

 

SCN 286

 

     The first map is anonymous and dated 1471. It is in the Biblioteca Estense at Modena. It shows the island of Fogo in its proper place west of São Tiago.

     However, in the second map, a portion of the Cantino planisphere of 1502, the island of Maio is identified as Fogo, although Fogo is west, not east of São Tiago. This map is also preserved in the Estense Library, in Modena, Italy.

     The explanation for the error on the stamp is that the source was incorrect. The mistake is on the original map, a simple error, putting the wrong name on one of the islands.
    

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