Original edition (2nd 1664) of one of the first scholarly handbooks of geography, written from personal research by the young German scholar Varenius (1622-1650), famous for his Description of Japan (1649). The work i.a. discusses the "ars nautica" (shipping, esp. the localisation of ships in the sea) and contains numerous references to America. Varenius (1622-1650) was a German geographer; this is his most celebrated treatise. In this work, he treats physical geography scientifically, according to the understanding of the time. Initial chapters discuss the Earth's figure, dimensions, motion, etc. from a mathematical standpoint; other chapters discuss astronomical effects: day-length, tides, seasons, climate, time variations, etc. Later chapters discuss the surface of the Earth and practical applications of geography in map-making, navigation (including longitude and latitude determination), and more. For more than a century, this treatise was the standard text on the subject.