Martin Behaim also known as Martinho de Boemia was a famous cartographer and navigator from Germany. He was born at Nuremberg, a city in the south-eastern region of Germany. Martin Behaim was born in 1459 and died in the year 1507. He was the student of the famous astronomer Regiomontanus. Martin Behaim, the cartographer, was appointed as a navigational advisor to King John II. He was elected a member of the council of navigation as well. He assisted in making better navigational tables.
Behaim improvised the astrolabe and brought into perspective the use of brass instruments. He built the “Erdapfel” which is a terrestrial globe. This terrestrial globe has been protected and preserved within the museum of Nuremberg. His maps are influenced by Ptolemy, the famous cartographer. Although his works do not contain much details about the Atlantic, the “Erdapfel” provides information regarding the method of navigation towards the East. “Erdapfel” can be referred to as an encyclopedia as it contains every minute detail about the European countries. His work “Erdapfel” is of immense scientific significance.
Martin Behaim and Columbus were contemporaries in the sphere of cartography. They derived evidences about the globe from the same sources. The significant quality of Martin’s maps is that they abound in topical characteristics.