Created in 1645 by Pierre Du Val, Le Jeu du Monde is one of the oldest known geographic board games. The purpose of the 17th century French board game is to progress from the North Pole to the center of Europe.

Players take it in turn to roll two dice and move forward based on the number rolled. Each position on the board is one country. After the Pole, the first countries as you progress are in the Americas. You then progress through the countries of Africa, then the countries of Asia and finally through the countries of Europe. The winner is the player who reaches France first.

You can explore an interactive version of the map on the David Rumsey Map Collection.