Jigsaw maps are easy to buy in toy shops today, but this one may be the very first one made for sale. It was made in London by John Spilsbury. He made a separate jigsaw map for each of the four known continents, but not one of Australasia.

Jigsaw maps became very popular in the late 18th century and were used to help children learn about the countries that made up the continents. This is the very same reason you find map jigsaws used in classrooms today.

It is interesting to note that in 1766 Spilsbury gave this map the title 'Europe Divided into its Kingdoms' for this was the period before the French Revolution and the political changes that followed.