Catalan chart

Portolan charts are a type of medieval and early modern map that focuses on maritime geography and includes a network of rhumb lines.

In the 19th century, historians of cartography emphasized the differences of style and content between Italian and Catalan charts, but other authors have nuanced this distinction since then.

Portolan charts all share the characteristic windrose networks, which emanate out from compass roses located at various points on the map.

[2] As Leo Bagrow states:"..the word ("Rhumbline") is wrongly applied to the sea-charts of this period, since a loxodrome gives an accurate course only when the chart is drawn on a suitable projection.

"[2] Italian portolan charts tend to focus exclusively on coast lines, harbors and the open sea, whereas Catalan ones often shows information about the interior such as rivers.