This is an attractive map of the island of Sardinia, Italy by Nicholas Sanson dating to 1658. It covers the entire island in extraordinary detail offering both topographical and political information with mountains beautifully rendered in profile.At the time this map was made, Sardinia was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia under the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. The region at the time was also a hotbed of piracy - much like the Somali coast today. The Barbary Pirates disrupted trade in this region from the Crusades to the early 19th century. They would attack trading ships passing through the narrow Gibraltar straits and western Mediterranean. Ships would be destroyed or appropriated, cargo sized, and the crews and passengers enslaved. This map was created by Nicholas Sanson in 1658.