The portolan map is considered one of the most beautiful and informative maps for the Black Sea.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary World GIS Day in Bulgaria, Evgenia Karadjova, CEO of ESRI Bulgaria, the leading company in the field of Geographic information systems in Bulgaria and official organizer of the forum for the country, received a special recognition – a rare map of the Black Sea made in 1559 by the Portuguese royal cartographer Diogo Home. The map was given by Dr. Stefan Peykov, President of the GEOPAN International Cultural Center, in recognition for the promotion and development of the GIS community in Bulgaria, as well as the active work on multilateral projects over the past 20 years aimed to promote the digitalization in the country.

The XVI century Black Sea portrait is certified by GEOPAN and is a specially-crafted copy of the original, which is stored in the French National Library in Paris. Specialists define the map as one of the most beautiful and informative maps of the Black Sea. With a great precision on the map are outlineа the shores of the Black, Marmara and Azov seas and the specific central wind rose with the  32 wind directions. The map is also filled with interesting information about Bulgaria. It presents the 23 Bulgarian ports, including Sozopol, Varna, Kaliakra, Zanavarda (Cherna Voda) and others.

The unique map was given to Evgenia Karadjova within the 20th World Geographic Information Systems Day, attended by hundreds of representatives of the central and the local government, businesses, NGOs and the academic community in the country.

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