Maps of Scotland                                          

 16th-19th centuries

The outline of Scotland on the map changed as information about the geography and shape of the country   reached mapmakers. In the 16th and 17th centuries these mapmakers were rarely Scottish, as the main centers of map engraving and printing were in Belgium, Holland, Italy, France or England. Many mapmakers copied each other, and a particular outline might be copied throughout one or two centuries. Progress in drawing the correct shape of Scotland was not continuous: sometimes a new outline was less accurate than a previous attempt, yet was copied widely for many years.