West at the top西方在上面
North is not always up. On the 1584 map, west is at the top, so Japan sits below China. Always check which way a map faces.
北方不一定在上面。1584 年這張地圖西方在上面，所以日本在中國的下方。看地圖一定要先確認方向。
Taiwan's Story · Unit 1 · Lesson 4 · 台灣歷史 單元一 第四課
How Did the World First Draw Taiwan?世界最早怎麼畫台灣？
Page through five old maps from libraries and a museum, from 1584 to 1849. Watch the island change from uncertain islands to the shape we know, read what mapmakers admitted they did not know, and see how historians still disagree about where the name Formosa came from.
翻看五張來自圖書館和博物館的老地圖，從 1584 年到 1849 年。看這座島怎麼從幾座不確定的島，變成我們熟悉的形狀；讀一讀畫地圖的人承認自己不知道的地方；再看看歷史學者對「福爾摩沙」這個名字從哪裡來，到現在還意見不同。
Big idea · 一句話看懂
Old maps show what their makers knew, and what they did not. Mapmakers far away drew Taiwan split in two, too thin, or blank in places before they drew it close to today’s shape. All that time, Indigenous peoples were living across the island. The maps are evidence about the people who made them, as much as about the island.
老地圖讓我們看見畫地圖的人知道什麼，也看見他們不知道什麼。遠方的地圖師曾經把台灣畫成兩座島、畫得太瘦、留下空白，後來才畫得接近今天的形狀。這段時間裡，原住民族一直住在島上各地。這些地圖是關於畫圖者的證據，也是關於這座島的證據。
Old Maps · 老地圖
Five Maps, 1584 to 1849 五張地圖，從 1584 年到 1849 年
Each image is a real map from a library or museum that openly licenses its images. Press Newer or tap a year to change maps; the timeline beside it moves too. Tap a numbered dot to read what it marks, and zoom in to read the old labels. Today’s coastline sits beside the map, not on top of it, because the old shapes do not fit and that is the point.
每一張都是真的老地圖，來自明確開放影像授權的圖書館或博物館。按「較晚」或點年份換一張，旁邊的時間軸也會跟著動。點有編號的圓點，看它標的是什麼；放大可以讀老地圖上的字。今天的海岸線放在旁邊對照，不疊在上面，因為老地圖的形狀對不上，而這正是要看的地方。
Museum and library images, open license · 館藏影像，開放授權
- Numbered dot: something to look at on this map
有編號的圓點：這張地圖上值得看的地方 - Today’s coastline, beside the map for comparison
今天的海岸線，放在旁邊對照
The maps are shown as the library or museum published them, only trimmed to the frame; the 1737 map is cropped to the area around Taiwan. The numbered dots were placed by My Culture Connect by looking at the images, and the readings of the old labels are ours; spellings follow the maps. Old maps are not stretched to fit today’s coastline.
地圖照圖書館或博物館公開的樣子呈現，只裁到圖框；1737 年那張裁成台灣附近的部分。有編號的圓點是人師教育協會看著影像放上去的，老地名的讀法也是我們讀的，拼法照地圖原樣。老地圖沒有被拉扯去對齊今天的海岸線。
Map images: David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; trimmed or cropped by My Culture Connect and shared under the same license), and Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (public domain). Today’s coastline: Natural Earth, public domain. 地圖影像：David Rumsey 地圖典藏（史丹佛大學圖書館，CC BY-NC-SA 3.0；本會裁切，依同一授權分享）、荷蘭國家博物館（公有領域）。今天的海岸線：Natural Earth，公有領域。
Reading · 英文閱讀
4
Unit 4: How Did the World First Draw Taiwan?
Imagine drawing a map of a place you have only seen from a ship. You can see the coast, but not the mountains behind it, and not the far side. The maps in this lesson were made by outsiders in Europe, and they show the island as those mapmakers knew it. All that time, Indigenous peoples were living across the island, in the mountains, on the plains, and along both coasts. They are not shown on these maps, but they were there.
想像你要畫一張地圖，畫的是一個你只從船上看過的地方。你看得到海岸，卻看不到後面的山，也看不到另一邊。這一課的地圖都是歐洲的外地人畫的，畫的是這座島在他們心中的樣子。這段時間裡，原住民族一直住在島上各地：山區、平原，還有東西兩邊的海岸。這些地圖上看不到他們，但他們就在那裡。
The oldest map in this lesson is dated 1584. Ludovico Georgio, a Portuguese mapmaker, first drew it in 1579, and it was printed in an atlas by Abraham Ortelius. West is at the top. Off the coast of China are two islands labeled “Lequeio parua” and “Ins. Fermosa.” Ins. is Latin for island, and Fermosa is an old spelling of Formosa. The historian Paul Kua reads the two together as Taiwan, drawn in two pieces.
這一課最古老的地圖，年代是 1584 年。它是葡萄牙地圖師 Ludovico Georgio 在 1579 年畫成的，後來收進 Abraham Ortelius 的地圖集印行。這張地圖西方在上面。中國的海岸外有兩座島，分別標著「Lequeio parua」和「Ins. Fermosa」。Ins. 是拉丁文的「島」，Fermosa 是 Formosa 的舊拼法。歷史學者 Paul Kua 認為，這兩座島合起來就是台灣，只是被畫成了兩塊。
Formosa means beautiful in Portuguese. A story taught in Taiwan’s textbooks says that Portuguese sailors in the 1500s saw the island and called it Ilha Formosa, “beautiful island.” In 2017, the historian Weng Jiayin and the writer Huang Yan argued that the island those sailors called Formosa was probably Okinawa, and that the Spanish were the first to give the name to Taiwan, in the 1580s. In 2020, Paul Kua answered that Portuguese maps already named Taiwan this way in the 1550s.
Formosa 在葡萄牙文是「美麗的」。台灣的歷史課本教過一個說法：1500 年代的葡萄牙水手看到這座島，叫它 Ilha Formosa，「美麗的島」。2017 年，歷史學者翁佳音和作家黃驗主張，那些水手叫做 Formosa 的島可能是沖繩，第一個把這個名字用在台灣的是西班牙人，時間在 1580 年代。2020 年，Paul Kua 回應說，葡萄牙的地圖在 1550 年代就已經這樣稱呼台灣了。
In 1728, a sea chart printed in London still drew Taiwan long and much too thin. Nine years later, in 1737, a French geographer named d’Anville published a map that looks much closer to today’s. Its title says it was drawn from maps that the Kangxi Emperor had Jesuit missionaries make on the spot. On that map, the west coast is full of place names, but the east coast is almost empty.
1728 年，一張在倫敦印的海圖，還是把台灣畫得又長又太瘦。九年後，1737 年，法國地理學家 d’Anville 出版了一張跟今天接近多了的地圖。它的標題說，這張圖是根據康熙皇帝派耶穌會傳教士實地測繪的地圖畫成的。在那張地圖上，西海岸滿滿都是地名，東海岸卻幾乎是空的。
In 1764, Jacques Nicolas Bellin, a mapmaker for the French navy, wrote something honest right on his map. Across the mountains: “the inside of this island is not known.” Along the east coast: “this whole coast is very little known.” The mountains and the east coast were not empty, of course. Indigenous peoples lived there. Those places were unknown to the mapmaker, not empty.
1764 年，替法國海軍畫地圖的 Jacques Nicolas Bellin，直接在地圖上寫了很誠實的話。山區寫著：「這座島的內部不清楚。」東海岸寫著：「這一整段海岸所知甚少。」當然，山區和東海岸並不是空的，原住民族就住在那裡。那些地方只是畫地圖的人不清楚，並不是空無一人。
Where does the name Taiwan come from? Victor Mair, a scholar of Chinese languages, writes that it comes from the name of an Indigenous people in the southwest of the island. A Dutch ship’s log from 1622 already spelled the area “Teijoan” and “Taiyowan.” On the maps in this lesson, the name is used in two ways, sometimes on the same map: for the whole island (“Tai-ouan ou Isle Formose”) and for one place on the west coast (“Tai-ouan ou Taiwan,” beside a ruined Dutch fort).
「台灣」這個名字是從哪裡來的？研究漢語的學者梅維恆（Victor Mair）寫道，它來自島上西南部一個原住民族群的名稱。一份 1622 年的荷蘭航海日誌，已經把那一帶拼成「Teijoan」和「Taiyowan」。在這一課的地圖上，這個名字有兩種用法，有時候就在同一張地圖上：一種是整座島（「Tai-ouan ou Isle Formose」），一種是西海岸上的一個地方（「Tai-ouan ou Taiwan」，旁邊是一座已成廢墟的荷蘭城堡）。
Read aloud · 課文朗讀
Questions · 閱讀理解
On the 1584 map, which two islands does the historian Paul Kua read as Taiwan?
“Lequeio parua” and “Ins. Fermosa,” the two islands closest to the coast of China. He reads them as Taiwan drawn in two pieces.
Bellin wrote that the inside of the island was “not known.” Not known to whom?
To the mapmaker. Indigenous peoples lived in the mountains and along the east coast.
On the 1764 map, the name Tai-ouan is used in two ways. What are they?
For the whole island (“Tai-ouan ou Isle Formose,” in big letters) and for one place on the west coast (“Tai-ouan ou Taiwan,” beside the fort). The 1737 map does the same.
Words & Phrases · 生字及片語
atlas(n.)地圖集The map was printed in an atlas in 1584.這張地圖在 1584 年印在一本地圖集裡。coast(n.)海岸Sailors could see the coast, but not the mountains behind it.水手看得到海岸，卻看不到後面的山。label(v. / n.)標示；標籤A small island is labeled “Fermosa.”一座小島標著「Fermosa」。chart(n.)海圖A sea chart shows coasts, islands, and water depths for sailors.海圖為航海的人標出海岸、島嶼和水深。navigator(n.)航海家；領航員A navigator follows a compass direction across the sea.航海家沿著一個羅盤方向橫越大海。compass rose(n.)羅盤玫瑰（地圖上的方位圖）Lines spread out from the compass rose.線條從羅盤玫瑰向外畫出去。shape(n.)形狀The shape on the 1737 map is much closer to today’s.1737 年地圖上的形狀，跟今天接近多了。unknown(adj.)不清楚的；未知的The east coast was unknown to the mapmaker, but people lived there.畫地圖的人不清楚東海岸，但那裡是有人住的。
Quick Check · 小測驗
1. On the 1584 map, which direction is at the top?
2. What does formosa mean in Portuguese?
3. How does the 1728 chart draw Taiwan?
4. What did Bellin write along Taiwan’s east coast in 1764?
5. According to Victor Mair, the name Taiwan comes from…
Try It on the Maps · 在地圖上試試
Four things to look at 四件值得看的事
Now go through all five maps in order and watch only the east coast. When does it first get a shape? When does it get names?
現在照順序把五張地圖看一遍，只盯著東海岸看。它什麼時候開始有形狀？什麼時候開始有地名？
Much too thin太瘦了
On a 1728 chart for sailors, Taiwan is a long, narrow strip. Compare it with today’s coastline beside the map.
在 1728 年給航海的人用的海圖上，台灣是一條又長又窄的島。跟旁邊今天的海岸線比一比。
“Not known”「不清楚」
Bellin wrote across the mountains that the inside of the island was not known. Not known to him: people lived there.
Bellin 在山區寫著：這座島的內部不清楚。是他不清楚；那裡是有人住的。
Old names, newer print舊地名，新印的圖
This map was printed in 1849, but its title says it was compiled from Dutch maps of the 1600s. Its names include Zelandia and Taywan.
這張地圖印於 1849 年，但標題說它是根據 1600 年代的荷蘭地圖編成的。圖上的地名有 Zelandia 和 Taywan。
On the Timeline · 在時間軸上
Where this lesson sits 這一課講的是哪裡
These five maps span about 265 years, a short stretch at the very end of a long timeline.
這五張地圖跨越大約 265 年，只是一條長長時間軸最末端的一小段。
People had lived in Taiwan for tens of thousands of years before the first map in this lesson; Lesson 2 tells that story. The maps record when outsiders began to draw the island, not when its history began.在這一課第一張地圖出現之前，台灣已經有人住了好幾萬年（第二課講的就是這段）。這些地圖記錄的是外地人什麼時候開始畫這座島，不是這座島的歷史什麼時候開始。
Game · 小遊戲
What Does the Label Name? 這個名字標的是什麼？
Eight labels copied from the maps in this lesson. Does each one name the whole island, a place on the island, or the islands nearby? There is no timer; the game only counts how many you sort right the first time.
從這一課的地圖上抄下來的八個名字。每一個標的是整座島、島上的一個地方，還是附近的群島？這裡不計時；遊戲只記下你第一次就分對幾個。
Pescadores, Pêcheurs, and Visschers all mean fishermen, in Portuguese or Spanish, French, and Dutch. Three languages, one meaning.Pescadores、Pêcheurs、Visschers 都是「漁夫」，分別是葡萄牙文或西班牙文、法文和荷蘭文。三種語言，同一個意思。
How Do We Know? · 我們怎麼知道？
The evidence behind this lesson 這一課依據的證據
Each of these is a public record you can open yourself.
下面每一項，都是你自己打得開的公開紀錄。
🗺️The maps地圖本身
Four printed maps and their catalog records四張印刷地圖與它們的館藏紀錄
Titles, makers, dates, atlases, and list numbers come from the catalog records of the David Rumsey Map Collection. The labels are read from the maps themselves.標題、作者、年代、所屬地圖集和編號，依 David Rumsey 地圖典藏的館藏紀錄；圖上的字則是直接從地圖讀出來的。
Where it lives · 保存在哪裡David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries, California; the images are online.美國加州史丹佛大學圖書館的 David Rumsey 地圖中心；影像可在網路上看。
David Rumsey Map Collection ↗🏛️A museum record博物館紀錄
The 1849 chart1849 年的那張海圖
The Rijksmuseum’s record names Siebold as the mapmaker, P.C. Tesch as the printmaker after Kampmann, and the date 1849. The title on the sheet says where its information came from.荷蘭國家博物館的紀錄寫著：西博德編繪、P.C. Tesch 依 Kampmann 製版、1849 年。圖紙上的標題也說了它的資料從哪裡來。
Where it lives · 保存在哪裡Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, object RP-P-1939-985.阿姆斯特丹荷蘭國家博物館，編號 RP-P-1939-985。
Rijksmuseum, RP-P-1939-985 ↗📜A historian’s study歷史學者的研究
Who named Formosa?誰取了 Formosa 這個名字？
Paul Kua’s 2020 article goes through Portuguese sailing directions (rutters), maps, and letters, sets out the arguments of Weng Jiayin and Huang Yan, and concludes that the Portuguese named Taiwan Formosa in the early 1550s.Paul Kua 2020 年的論文逐一檢視葡萄牙的航海指南、地圖和書信，列出翁佳音與黃驗的論點，結論是葡萄牙人在 1550 年代初期就把台灣叫做 Formosa。
Where it lives · 保存在哪裡Anais de História de Além-Mar, vol. 21 (2020), open access.《Anais de História de Além-Mar》第 21 卷（2020），開放取用。
Kua, Anais de História de Além-Mar 21 (2020) ↗📻A news report新聞報導
The other side, in its authors’ words另一方的說法
A 2017 report by Radio Taiwan International sets out the argument of Weng Jiayin of Academia Sinica and the writer Huang Yan, from their book Decoding Taiwanese History, 1550–1720.中央廣播電臺 2017 年的報導，介紹中研院翁佳音與作家黃驗在《解碼臺灣史1550-1720》裡的論點。
Where it lives · 保存在哪裡Radio Taiwan International’s news archive (November 14, 2017).中央廣播電臺新聞（2017 年 11 月 14 日）。
Radio Taiwan International · 中央廣播電臺 ↗🔤A linguist’s essay語言學家的文章
Where the name Taiwan came from台灣這個名字的由來
Victor Mair, a scholar of Chinese languages at the University of Pennsylvania, writes that the name Taiwan comes from the name of a people in the southwest of the island, and gives early spellings: “Teijoan” and “Taiyowan” in a Dutch ship’s log of 1622, and “Taiouwang” in 1636.賓州大學研究漢語的學者梅維恆（Victor Mair）寫道，台灣這個名字來自島上西南部一個族群的名稱，並列出早期的拼法：1622 年荷蘭航海日誌裡的「Teijoan」、「Taiyowan」，以及 1636 年的「Taiouwang」。
Where it lives · 保存在哪裡An essay on the website Pinyin.info.Pinyin.info 網站上的一篇文章。
Mair, “How to Forget Your Mother Tongue and Remember Your National Language” ↗Different Views · 不同的說法
One question with more than one answer 一個不只一種答案的問題
Each answer below has a source. The lesson does not choose.
下面每一個答案都有出處。課文不替誰選邊。
Who first called Taiwan Formosa?最早把台灣叫做 Formosa 的是誰？
The story in the textbooks課本裡的說法
Portuguese sailors passing in the 1500s called the island Formosa for its beautiful scenery. Radio Taiwan International notes that history textbooks taught this.央廣的報導寫道：「歷史課本上教過，葡萄牙人16世紀行經台灣時，因美麗的風景稱台灣為福爾摩沙(Formosa)」。
Radio Taiwan International (2017) ↗Weng Jiayin and Huang Yan (2017)翁佳音、黃驗（2017）
Portuguese sailing records place their Formosa at about 25 degrees north, north of Taipei, so it was probably Okinawa. Most documents call Taiwan “Lequeo pequeno.” The words “As Ilhas Fermosas” appear in a Spanish ship’s log in the 1580s, so the first to call Taiwan by this name were probably the Spanish.翁佳音表示，葡萄牙人航海誌裡的 Formosa 都在北緯 25 度，已經在台北以北，應該是沖繩而不是台灣；絕大部分文獻稱台灣本島為 Lequeo pequeno（小琉球）；1580 年代西班牙人的航海誌才出現 As Ilhas Fermosas（美麗諸島），所以第一個稱台灣為 Fermosas 的應該是西班牙人。
Radio Taiwan International (2017), reporting their book ↗Paul Kua (2020)Paul Kua（2020）
Kua agrees that “Ilhas Fermosas” in the Spanish navigator Francisco Gali’s 1584 log means Taiwan, but says that to call the Spanish the first is “going too far.” Portuguese maps name the island “Fremosa” in 1554 and “Fermosa” after that, so “it is safe to conclude that the naming of Taiwan as Formosa happened in the early 1550s.”Kua 同意西班牙航海家 Francisco Gali 1584 年航海日誌裡的「Ilhas Fermosas」指的是台灣，但認為因此說西班牙人是第一個，是「說過頭了」。葡萄牙的地圖在 1554 年就把這座島標成「Fremosa」，之後又寫成「Fermosa」，所以他的結論是：台灣被叫做 Formosa，發生在 1550 年代初期。
Kua, Anais de História de Além-Mar 21 (2020) ↗The two sides read many of the same kinds of documents, sailing directions, maps, and letters, and agree about the Spanish log of 1584. They disagree about the Portuguese records before it.兩方讀的是很多同類的文件（航海指南、地圖、書信），也都同意 1584 年那份西班牙航海日誌指的是台灣；分歧在於更早的葡萄牙紀錄。
The rule is the same in every lesson: views are set side by side, each with its source, and the lesson does not choose.每一課的規則都一樣：說法並列、各附出處，課文不替誰選邊。
History English · 歷史英語
Eight sentences for talking about old maps 談老地圖的八句英文
Some of these describe what a map shows; others report what a scholar argues. Tap 🔊 to hear each one, then try swapping the words in bold.
有幾句描述地圖上畫了什麼；有幾句轉述學者的主張。點 🔊 聽每一句，再試著把粗體的部分換掉。
- On this map, west is at the top.這張地圖西方在上面。is at the top: says which way a map faces.is at the top：說明地圖的方向。
- A small island is labeled “Fermosa.”一座小島標著「Fermosa」。is labeled: reports exactly what is written on the map.is labeled：照實轉述地圖上寫的字。
- According to a long-told story, Portuguese sailors named the island.依照一個流傳很久的說法，是葡萄牙水手替這座島取名的。According to: tells the listener that this is someone’s account.According to：提醒聽的人，這是某個說法。
- Some historians argue that the Spanish were the first to use the name.有些歷史學者主張，最早用這個名字的是西班牙人。argue that: a claim backed by reasons, which others may dispute.argue that：有理由支持、但別人可能反對的主張。
- Its title says the map was based on surveys made for the Kangxi Emperor.它的標題說，這張地圖是根據替康熙皇帝做的測繪畫成的。was based on: says where a map’s information came from.was based on：說明地圖的資料從哪裡來。
- The mapmaker admitted that the east coast was little known.畫地圖的人承認，東海岸所知甚少。admitted that: someone says openly what they do not know.admitted that：坦白說出自己不知道的事。
- According to Mair, the name comes from the name of an Indigenous people.梅維恆認為，這個名字來自一個原住民族群的名稱。comes from: gives the origin of a word or name.comes from：說明一個字或名字的來源。
- Compared with the 1728 chart, this map is much closer to today’s shape.跟 1728 年的海圖比起來，這張地圖的形狀跟今天接近多了。Compared with … much closer to: compares two sources.Compared with … much closer to：比較兩份資料。
In Taiwan · 在台灣
A name that stayed, fishermen in three languages, four directions, and a fort 留下來的名字、三種語言的漁夫、四個方向，和一座城
Four short notes on what the old maps left behind.
四則關於老地圖留下了什麼的短短說明。
A name · 一個名字
Formosa is still hereFormosa 還在
The name Formosa has not disappeared from English. Encyclopaedia Britannica gives the strait to the west of Taiwan two names: the Taiwan, or Formosa, Strait. And Bellin’s 1764 map is titled Carte de l’Isle Formose, Map of the Island of Formosa.
Formosa 這個名字並沒有從英文裡消失。《大英百科》給台灣西邊的海峽兩個名字：台灣海峽，或福爾摩沙海峽。Bellin 1764 年的地圖，標題就是 Carte de l’Isle Formose（福爾摩沙島地圖）。
A word · 一個詞
Fishermen in three languages三種語言的漁夫
The maps call the Penghu Islands the Pescadores (Portuguese or Spanish), the Pêcheurs (French), and De Visschers Eilanden (Dutch). All three mean fishermen. Three languages, one meaning.
這些地圖把澎湖群島叫做 Pescadores（葡萄牙文或西班牙文）、Pêcheurs（法文）、De Visschers Eilanden（荷蘭文）。三個都是「漁夫」。三種語言，同一個意思。
Four words · 四個字
The four directions in Latin拉丁文的四個方向
The 1584 map prints the directions in Latin on its four sides: OCCIDENS (west) at the top, ORIENS (east) at the bottom, MERIDIES (south) on the left, and SEPTEMTRIO (north) on the right. Turn the page so that SEPTEMTRIO is at the top, and the map starts to look familiar.
1584 年的地圖在四邊印著拉丁文的方向：上面是 OCCIDENS（西）、下面是 ORIENS（東）、左邊是 MERIDIES（南）、右邊是 SEPTEMTRIO（北）。把紙轉到 SEPTEMTRIO 在上面，這張地圖就開始變得眼熟了。
A fort · 一座城
“Ft Zelandia ruine”「Ft Zelandia ruine」
In 1764 Bellin marked Fort Zeelandia as a ruin. In 1849 Siebold, compiling from Dutch maps of the 1600s, drew “Zelandia” beside “Taywan.” Who built the fort, and why there? That is the next lesson.
1764 年，Bellin 把熱蘭遮城標成廢墟。1849 年，Siebold 根據 1600 年代的荷蘭地圖編圖，把「Zelandia」畫在「Taywan」旁邊。這座城是誰蓋的、為什麼蓋在那裡？那是下一課的故事。
Myth vs. Fact · 常見迷思
Four things people get wrong 四個常見的誤會
✗ Myth · 迷思Old maps are useless because they are wrong.老地圖畫錯了，所以沒有用。
✓ Fact · 事實Their mistakes are evidence. A wrong shape or an empty coast shows what the mapmaker knew, and from whom.畫錯的地方本身就是證據。形狀不對、海岸空白，讓我們看見畫地圖的人知道什麼、又是從誰那裡知道的。
✗ Myth · 迷思Everyone agrees that Portuguese sailors named Taiwan Formosa.大家都同意是葡萄牙水手把台灣取名為 Formosa。
✓ Fact · 事實That is the story in the textbooks. In 2017 the historian Weng Jiayin and the writer Huang Yan argued that the Spanish were first; in 2020 Paul Kua argued that the Portuguese named Taiwan Formosa in the early 1550s.那是課本裡的說法。2017 年歷史學者翁佳音和作家黃驗主張西班牙人才是第一個；2020 年 Paul Kua 則主張葡萄牙人在 1550 年代初期就把台灣叫做 Formosa。
✗ Myth · 迷思The name Taiwan means terrace bay.「台灣」這個名字的意思是「臺形的海灣」。
✓ Fact · 事實That is a surface reading of the two Chinese characters. Victor Mair says the characters were chosen for their sound, and that the name comes from the name of an Indigenous people.那只是兩個漢字字面上的意思。梅維恆說，這兩個字是取它們的音，名字本身來自一個原住民族群的名稱。
✗ Myth · 迷思The places marked “not known” were empty.地圖上寫著「不清楚」的地方，就是沒有人住。
✓ Fact · 事實Indigenous peoples lived there. “Not known” describes the mapmaker, not the land.原住民族就住在那裡。「不清楚」說的是畫地圖的人，不是那片土地。
Remember It · 記憶口訣
Four things to keep in your pocket 四句帶著走的話
Check which way is up先看哪邊是上面
North is not always at the top.
北方不一定在上面。
Who drew it, and for whom?誰畫的？畫給誰用？
A sailors’ chart and an atlas map answer different questions.
海圖和地圖集裡的地圖，要回答的問題不一樣。
Unknown to whom?誰不清楚？
An empty space on a map is a gap in the mapmaker’s knowledge.
地圖上的空白，是畫地圖的人知識上的空白。
A label is not proof標了名字不等於證明
A name on a map shows the name was used, not who gave it.
地圖上有一個名字，只說明有人用這個名字，不說明是誰取的。
For Teachers · 給老師的提醒
Curriculum links, image licenses, and care with words 課綱對應、影像授權，以及用字上的小心
- Curriculum links (12-Year Basic Education, social studies, junior high). History: 歷 Bb-Ⅳ-1 (the powers in East Asian waters in the 16th and 17th centuries) and 歷 Bb-Ⅳ-2 (contact between Indigenous peoples and outsiders). Geography: 地 Ca-Ⅳ-1 (the origin of the place name “Taiwan” and how what it refers to has changed).課綱對應（十二年國教社會領域，國中）。歷史：歷 Bb-Ⅳ-1「十六、十七世紀東亞海域的各方勢力。」、歷 Bb-Ⅳ-2「原住民族與外來者的接觸。」地理：地 Ca-Ⅳ-1「「臺灣」地名的由來與指涉範圍的演變。」
- Image licenses. The four Rumsey maps are licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0: you may use them in class and share them, but not for commercial use, and you must credit “David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries.” The 1849 chart is in the public domain (Rijksmuseum). Each map’s card in the viewer gives its record number and a link.影像授權。四張 Rumsey 地圖是 CC BY-NC-SA 3.0：可以在課堂使用和分享，但不能做商業用途，而且要標明「David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries」。1849 年那張是公有領域（荷蘭國家博物館）。展示台上每張地圖的卡片都有館藏編號和連結。
- Care with words. Please avoid saying that Europeans “discovered” or “opened up” Taiwan; people already lived here. Say that a mapmaker drew, named, or did not know a place.用字上的小心。請不要說歐洲人「發現」或「開闢」了台灣；這裡本來就有人住。可以說地圖師畫了、命名了，或不清楚某個地方。
- The readings of old labels on this page are our own, made by zooming in on the images; old engraved letters can be hard to read. If you or your students read a label differently, open the library’s full image and decide together. Readings of which islands are Taiwan on the 1584 map follow Paul Kua.本頁老地圖上的字，是我們放大影像自己讀的；老雕版的字有時不好認。如果你或學生讀出不一樣的字，可以打開圖書館的完整影像，一起判斷。1584 年那張地圖上哪幾座島是台灣，依 Paul Kua 的解讀。
Classroom Activity 1 · 課堂活動一
Draw It from the Doorway 站在門口畫教室
You need · 準備材料
- A sheet of paper and a pencil for each student每人一張紙和一支鉛筆
Steps · 步驟
- Stand in the classroom doorway and do not walk in. Draw a map of the room using only what you can see from there.站在教室門口，不要走進去。只用從那裡看得到的東西，畫一張教室的地圖。
- Now walk through the room and fix your map with a different color.現在走進教室繞一圈，用另一種顏色修正你的地圖。
- In pairs, compare: which parts were wrong or empty at first, and why?兩人一組比一比：哪些地方一開始畫錯或是空白的？為什麼？
- As a class, connect this to the 1728 and 1764 maps: what could the mapmakers see, and what could they not?全班一起把它連到 1728 年和 1764 年的地圖：畫地圖的人看得到什麼？看不到什麼？
Ask students to label one empty part of their first map “not known,” the way Bellin did. Then ask: not known to whom?
請學生像 Bellin 一樣，在第一張地圖的一塊空白上寫「不清楚」，再問：是誰不清楚？
Classroom Activity 2 · 課堂活動二
Map Detective 地圖偵探
You need · 準備材料
- The map viewer on this page, on a screen or a projector本頁的地圖展示台（用螢幕或投影）
- A copy of the five questions below for each group每組一份下面的五個問題
Steps · 步驟
- Give each group one of the five maps.每一組分到五張地圖中的一張。
- Answer: Who made it? When? For whom (sailors, readers of an atlas)? Which way is up? What does it say it does not know?回答：誰畫的？什麼時候？畫給誰用（航海的人、看地圖集的讀者）？哪邊是上面？它說自己不知道什麼？
- Find one label on the map and copy it exactly, with the original spelling.在地圖上找一個名字，照原本的拼法一字不差地抄下來。
- Report to the class in English, using one sentence from History English.用英文向全班報告，用上一句歷史英語的句子。
Each map’s card gives the maker, date, and library record, so groups can check their answers.
每張地圖的卡片上有作者、年代和館藏紀錄，各組可以自己核對答案。
Go Further · 延伸閱讀
Back to the peoples, and on to the fort 回到各族，再往那座城走
Taiwan’s Story · Lesson 3 · 台灣歷史・第三課Who Are Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples?台灣的原住民族是誰？The peoples who lived on the island long before the first map, and the names they use for themselves.在第一張地圖出現之前就住在島上的各族，以及他們對自己的稱呼。Go to the lesson · 前往這一課 →Taiwan’s Story · Lesson 5 · 台灣歷史・第五課Why Did the Dutch Build a Fort in Tainan?荷蘭人為什麼在台南蓋城？The fort that Bellin marked as a ruin.Bellin 標成廢墟的那座城。Go to the lesson · 前往這一課 →
Sources · 資料出處
Facts, dates, and quotations on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026; quotations keep the original spelling. Readings of the labels on the maps are our own. · 本頁的事實、年代與引文於 2026 年 10 月依下列資料查證；引文保留原文的拼法。地圖上的字是我們自己讀的。
- 1584 map: full title, “Ludovico Georgio,” engraver Frans Hogenberg, the 1608 Italian edition by Vrients, list no. 10001.3051584 年地圖：完整標題、「Ludovico Georgio」、雕版者 Frans Hogenberg、1608 年 Vrients 的義大利文版、編號 10001.305David Rumsey Map Collection ↗
- 1728 chart: Halley, Senex, and Cutler; Atlas Maritimus & Commercialis, London, 1728; “Includes rhumb lines … as well as compass roses”; list no. 14577.0491728 年海圖：Halley、Senex、Cutler；《Atlas Maritimus & Commercialis》，倫敦，1728；館藏說明提到恆向線與羅盤玫瑰；編號 14577.049David Rumsey Map Collection ↗
- 1737 map: d’Anville, Nouvel atlas de la Chine, The Hague, Henri Scheurleer, 1737; full title naming the Emperor “Cang-Hi” and the Jesuit missionaries; list no. 13322.0111737 年地圖：唐維爾，《中國新地圖集》，海牙，Henri Scheurleer，1737；完整標題提到「Cang-Hi」皇帝與耶穌會傳教士；編號 13322.011David Rumsey Map Collection ↗
- 1764 map: Bellin, Le Petit Atlas Maritime, Paris, 1764, volume 3, no. 59; list no. 6903.2741764 年地圖：Bellin，《小海事地圖集》，巴黎，1764，第三冊第 59 號；編號 6903.274David Rumsey Map Collection ↗
- License of the Rumsey images (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) and the required credit lineRumsey 影像的授權（CC BY-NC-SA 3.0）與規定的標示方式David Rumsey Map Collection, About ↗
- 1849 chart: Siebold, Tesch after Kampmann, 1849; public domain1849 年海圖：西博德、Tesch 依 Kampmann 製版，1849；公有領域Rijksmuseum, RP-P-1939-985 ↗
- Ludovico Georgio, Portuguese, drew the map in 1579; it was in the 1584 Theatrum; Lequeio parua and Ins. Fermosa read as Taiwan in two pieces, Lequeio magna as Okinawa; Weng and Huang’s arguments; Gali’s 1584 log; Lopo Homem’s map of 1554 (“Fremosa”); “it is safe to conclude that the naming of Taiwan as Formosa happened in the early 1550s”; “going too far”Ludovico Georgio 為葡萄牙地圖師，1579 年畫成，收入 1584 年版 Theatrum；Lequeio parua 與 Ins. Fermosa 為被拆成兩塊的台灣、Lequeio magna 為沖繩；翁佳音與黃驗的論點；Gali 1584 年航海日誌；1554 年 Lopo Homem 地圖的「Fremosa」；結論：台灣被稱為 Formosa 在 1550 年代初期Kua, “Portuguese ‘discovery’ and ‘naming’ of the Formosa Island, 1510-1624,” Anais de História de Além-Mar 21 (2020) ↗
- Textbooks taught the Portuguese story; Weng Jiayin (Academia Sinica) and the writer Huang Yan, Decoding Taiwanese History, 1550–1720: the Portuguese Formosa at 25° N, probably Okinawa; “As Ilhas Fermosas” in Spanish logs of the 1580s; the Spanish probably first「歷史課本上教過，葡萄牙人16世紀行經台灣時，因美麗的風景稱台灣為福爾摩沙」；中研院台史所副研究員翁佳音與作家黃驗《解碼臺灣史1550-1720》：葡萄牙人的 Formosa 在北緯 25 度、應為沖繩；1580 年代西班牙航海誌出現 As Ilhas Fermosas；第一個稱台灣為 Fermosas 的應為西班牙人中央廣播電臺〈中研院研究 福爾摩沙恐非台灣〉（2017-11-14） ↗
- The origin of the name Taiwan in an ethnonym; “Teijoan” and “Taiyowan” (1622); “Taiouwang” (1636); the characters read as “Terrace Bay”台灣一名源自族名；1622 年的「Teijoan」、「Taiyowan」；1636 年的「Taiouwang」；漢字字面的「Terrace Bay」Victor H. Mair, Pinyin.info ↗
- “Taiwan (Formosa) Strait”「Taiwan (Formosa) Strait」Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Taiwan” ↗
- Indigenous peoples and their main areas across Taiwan: mountains, plains, and both coasts (see Lesson 3)各原住民族的主要分布地區遍及山區、平原與東西兩岸（見第三課）原住民族委員會〈原住民族16族簡介〉 ↗
- People in Taiwan tens of thousands of years ago: the Baxian Caves, about 30,000 to 15,000 years ago (see Lesson 2)八仙洞：「代表文化層 距今約30000-15000年（舊石器時代）」（見第二課）文資局 八仙洞考古遺址 ↗
- Curriculum: 歷 Bb-Ⅳ-1, 歷 Bb-Ⅳ-2, 地 Ca-Ⅳ-1課綱：歷 Bb-Ⅳ-1、歷 Bb-Ⅳ-2、地 Ca-Ⅳ-1十二年國民基本教育課程綱要 社會領域（教育部，2018） ↗
- Today’s coastline beside the maps地圖旁今天的海岸線Natural Earth, Terms of Use ↗