e ▁med itation es ▁de ▁fab rica ▁m und i ▁et ▁fabric ati ▁figura ". ▁This ▁transl ates ▁as ▁Atlas ▁OR ▁cosm ographical ▁med itations ▁upon ▁the ▁creation ▁of ▁the ▁universe , ▁and ▁the ▁universe ▁as ▁created , ▁thus ▁providing ▁Mer c ator ' s ▁definition ▁of ▁the ▁term ▁at las . ▁These ▁volumes ▁dev ote ▁slightly ▁less ▁than ▁one ▁half ▁of ▁their ▁pages ▁to ▁maps : ▁Mer c ator ▁did ▁not ▁use ▁the ▁term ▁sole ly ▁to ▁describe ▁a ▁bound ▁collection ▁of ▁maps . ▁His ▁choice ▁of ▁title ▁was ▁motiv ated ▁by ▁his ▁respect ▁for ▁Atlas ▁" K ing ▁of ▁Ma ure t ania " ▁ ▁Ort el ius ▁and ▁the ▁era ▁of ▁modern ▁world ▁at l ases ▁ ▁Abraham ▁Ort el ius ▁generally ▁recognized ▁as ▁the ▁cre ator ▁of ▁the ▁world ' s ▁first ▁modern ▁at las , ▁the ▁The at rum ▁Or bis ▁Terr ar um ▁( The atre ▁of ▁the ▁World ). ▁Ort el ius ' s ▁The at rum ▁Or bis ▁Terr ar um ▁( 1 5 7 0 ) ▁is ▁considered ▁the ▁first ▁true ▁at las ▁in ▁the ▁modern ▁sense : ▁a ▁collection ▁of ▁uniform ▁map ▁sheets ▁and ▁sust aining ▁text ▁bound ▁to ▁form ▁a ▁book ▁for ▁which ▁co pper ▁printing ▁pl ates ▁were ▁specifically ▁eng ra ved . ▁It ▁is ▁sometimes ▁referred ▁to ▁as ▁the ▁summary ▁of ▁six teenth - century ▁cart ography . Har wood , ▁Jer emy ▁( 2 0 0 6 ). ▁To ▁the ▁End s ▁of ▁the ▁Earth : ▁ 1 0