▁During ▁the ▁Golden ▁Age ▁of ▁Dutch ▁expl oration ▁( c . ▁ 1 5 9 0 s – 1 7 2 0 s ) ▁and ▁the ▁Golden ▁Age ▁of ▁Dutch / N ether land ish ▁cart ography ▁( c . ▁ 1 5 7 0 s – 1 6 7 0 s ), ▁Dutch - spe aking ▁navig ators , ▁expl or ers , ▁and ▁cart ograph ers ▁were ▁the ▁first s ▁to ▁chart / map ▁many ▁h ither to ▁largely ▁unknown ▁regions ▁of ▁the ▁earth ▁and ▁the ▁sky . ▁During ▁roughly ▁a ▁century , ▁Nether land ish ▁( D utch ▁and ▁F lem ish ) ▁cart ograph ers ▁made ▁important ▁contributions ▁to ▁the ▁science ▁and ▁art ▁of ▁map making . ▁Their ▁publications ▁are ▁remarkable ▁mil est ones ▁in ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁cart ography , ▁the ▁ext ant ▁ed itions ▁are ▁not ▁only ▁valuable ▁sources ▁of ▁contemporary ▁ge ographic ▁knowledge ▁but ▁also ▁fine ▁works ▁of ▁art . ▁The ▁main ▁role ▁in ▁this ▁was ▁played ▁by ▁a ▁special ▁art istic ▁atmosphere ▁of ▁the ▁Netherlands ▁( or ▁the ▁Low ▁Count ries ) ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 6 th ▁and ▁ 1 7 th ▁centuries . ▁The ▁Low ▁Count ries ▁experienced ▁cultural ▁and ▁economic ▁bo oms ▁that ▁was ▁combined ▁with ▁enthus ias m ▁of ▁different ▁classes ▁of ▁people ▁for ▁ge ography ▁and ▁maps . ▁The ▁unique ▁atmosphere ▁made ▁map making ▁a ▁form ▁of ▁art . ▁Cart ography ▁and ▁visual ▁arts ▁were ▁related ▁activities : ▁art ▁and ▁map making ▁interact ed ▁with ▁each ▁other : ▁many ▁cart