Sea in culture of barbarian invaders and knowledge of geography took a backward step. In the seventh century, Isidore of Seville produced a "wheel map" in which Asia, Africa and Europe were arranged like segments in an orange, separated by the "Mare Mediterranean", "Nilus" and "Tanais" and surrounded by "Oceanus". It was not until the fifteenth century that Ptolemy's maps were used again and Henry the Navigator of Portugal initiated ocean exploration and maritime research. Encouraged by him, Portuguese navigators explored, mapped and charted the west coast of Africa and the Eastern Atlantic and this knowledge prepared the way for the great voyages
Sports in Central Asia Sports in Central Asia The area of Central Asia has a wide variety of sports, many of which have close cultural ties to the countries involved. Football, the world's most popular sport, is played in the majority of countries in Central Asia. The Asian Football Confederation or AFC is the governing body of Association Football in Asia, similar to UEFA in Europe and FIFA worldwide. The following countries all have organisations affiliated to the AFC: Though wrestling is an international and Olympic sport, there are many different variations in Central Asia. Mongolian wrestling has been practised in the country for