How do maps make up the world?

How do maps make up the world?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name:

Class:

Date:

 

Introduction

James Aber defines a map as a “graphic representation or scale model of spatial concepts”.[1] Maps are primarily used to provide geographical information. For centuries, they have served as the preferred medium of conveying this information and people of all races and cultures have used maps for different uses. Bednarz, Acheson and Bednarz allude to the importance of maps in geography by claiming that maps do not make up the entirety of geography but without them, the discipline would not exist[2]. Their extensive use by leaders, armies and explorers has contributed to the creation of the world that we live in today. Maps are integral part of human history and geography that has helped to drive the development of the world into its current state.

History of Maps

Cartography is the process through which maps are created. The process entails the detailed presentation of a geographical area on flat surfaces. Depending on the use, maps usually include political, cultural and other demarcations of a similar nature that are not related to geography[3]. The Babylonians made the oldest maps known to the human race in 2300 B.C. They made the maps using clay tablets. Archeologists believe that other geographical representations found inside Egyptian tombs are as old as the Babylonian maps. The science of cartography was at an advanced stage within the ancient Greek civilization as several ancient philosophers conceived the planet as being spherical in shape[4]. There was a shortage of arable land in the areas surrounding Greece; this situation forced the Greeks to venture into the sea and distant lands in search of resources. Activities related to exploration led to the development of cartography in the civilization mostly due to necessity.

Many Greek scholars and philosophers made major contributions to the science of cartography. By 600 B.C. Miletus, a port on the Aegean Sea had become an important center for the science. Hecataeus, a scholar based in the port city, released the first book about geography in 500B.C.[5] Herodotus later expanded the information in this book through extensive research and exploration. Hecataeus had believed that the world was flat. Herodotus and his peers challenged this notion and came up with alternative theories. In the course of this debate, Pythagoras came up with the idea that the earth was spherical.[6] Over the next few years, more scholars agreed with Pythagoras’ theory and it soon became widely accepted among Greek scholars. Historians consider Ptolemaeus to be the most influential of the Greek scholars. He released his work “Guide to Geography” in eight volumes, which contained details on the preparation of maps, discourse of the mathematics of geography and other key principles of cartography.[7]

Cartography continued to advance in the periods that followed the Roman era. During the middle ages, religious positions influenced the maps that were made in Europe. For instance, cartographers drew most European maps with Jerusalem in the centre. Later on, the maps began to depict the conquests and incursions of the Vikings.[8] At this stage, the maps were still drawn by hand and this made them very limited. This situation changed in the Renaissance Period as printing services became available. Continued exploration saw cartographers add more details to maps. It was during the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries that maps became modernized. Following the First World War, geographers used aerial photography to enhance the process of mapping the world.[9]

How Maps Have Influenced the World

            Maps have played a very important role in the development of the human race. Aber argues that, “maps have proven to be remarkably adaptable and useful through several millennia of human civilization.”[10] The science of cartography has become an integral part of geography and maps are now a fundamental aspect of modern society. The age of globalization has made maps even more important to the human race. The compression of the world into a global village has given maps a key role in making up the world that we live in today.

According to Bednarz, Acheson and Bednarz, the spread of spatial technologies have made maps more important in our lives.[11] The past few decades have seen computers become cheaper, more advanced and easier to acquire. This has made it possible for geographical information of all kinds to be accessible by anybody who needs it. Geographical information systems, (GIS), global positioning satellite (GPS) systems, aerial imaging of the planet and satellites have all combined to make it possible to have complex and detailed information available for use by students, geographers and other people who require them.[12] An added effect of this expansion is that the use and understanding of maps is now a skill that average citizens need to operate efficiently in the modern world. There are several examples of how normal citizens use maps for day-to-day activities. Hikers, fishers and travelers now use GPS systems to help them get to their destinations. Many modern cars even come with the systems pre-installed. Additionally, governments, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) and international organizations regularly present information using maps. These organizations use maps to show graphical data concerning various issues such as censuses and conflicts.[13]

One of the reasons why maps are important is that they enable us to have a good understanding of where we are. Globalization has driven the development of our world to its current state. In many ways, globalization involves creating a link between two or more locations.[14] To make this possible, we need to have a good understanding of the positioning of each location and the distance that is between them. This means that the primary idea behind globalization is the understanding of geographic location. Through this relationship between geography and globalization, maps and the science of cartography have become some of the driving concepts behind globalization and the modernization of the world.[15]

Maps also make up the world by being at the core of the world’s transportation systems. Many of the world’s transportation systems use maps to find their way around the globe. Maps use reference points, that they state in degrees, minutes and seconds to denote various locations on the planet.[16] Different systems of transportation then use these reference points for coordination and positioning. Many of these transportation maps are available on the internet for civilians to access. In some cases, updates to these maps that geographers and other users consider better, turn out to be worse for civilians.[17] This use of maps by different transportation systems has been one of the driving forces behind globalization.

Maps are also important in that they help in that they help us trace the history of certain civilizations and cultures in the world. Saxe argues that historically, maps can be used to show the positions, features and various activities of specific civilizations in the past[18]. This way, they act as instruments of history as well as geography. For example, to trace the history of America, historians can use maps to show the routes that explorers used to discover the land, the various settlements that existed in different times, the native populations that were found in the area and the different battles that were fought against the Native Americans, the French and the British.[19]

The correlation between politics and mapping is another way through which maps make up the world. Qureshi argues that political decisions bear heavy influence on the process of creating new maps.[20] A good example of this is the process through which the British government partitioned the Indian subcontinent. The partitioning of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan was mainly the result of politics that played out on a British arena. Later on, politics between Pakistan and India (but heavily influenced by the British as well) led to the creation of the state of Bangladesh. During the beginning of the Cold War, the British colonial government created several buffer states to protect British India from the Soviet Union and China.[21] In many ways, modern maps are created depending on the inclinations and associations of the cartographers to the different political entities that are power.

Conversely, maps also play a role in influencing politics. Qureshi observes that sometimes, people consider their maps to be national symbols.[22] This then translates to the maps providing a sense of national pride and identity. In some cases, political entities will take advantage of this relationship between maps and national pride and manipulate the process of cartography to fit certain needs and situations. This sense of national pride can become a powerful force when it is translated to nationalism and patriotism.[23] Events occurring in the past have shown how powerful the two concepts can be. Nationalism and patriotism have bred a sense of animosity that has resulted in some of the world’s bloodiest conflicts. Conversely, states can apply patriotism to create a strong sense of belonging and foster peace and unity in a nation.[24]

Conclusion

Maps have been in existence for almost four millennia now. Their development dates back to the clay tablets from Babylon and the maps discovered in Egyptian tombs. Since then, they have played a vital role in the growth and development of the world into its current modernized state. World leaders, explorers, missionaries and armies have all used maps at one time or another in the past. Their activities shaped the world into what it is today. Even though interference has seen maps become tools for politics, their benefits heavily outweigh their disadvantages. Meteorologists, pilots, sailors and other groups of people in the world use maps on a day-to-day basis. The work that these people carry out is instrumental in the running of the modern world. The application of cartography in the modern world has particularly been helpful, as maps become one of the driving forces behind globalization. Even though the world is making rapid advancements in technology, mapping and cartography will remain to be integral aspects of the human race and as more innovations are made, the science of cartography is bound to break new barriers.

 

Bibliography

Aber, James S. “History of maps and cartography.” Emporia State University. 2008. http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/map/h_map/h_map.htm.

Bednarz, Sarah Witham, Acheson, Gillian and Bednarz, Robert S. “Maps and map learning in Social Studies.” in Social Studies Today: Research and Practice edited by Walter Parker, 121-130. New York: Routledge, 2010.

Fuechsel, Charles F. “Map.” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 2013. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/363506/map/51779/Map-projections.

“Mapping globalization.” QED Princeton. Last modified September 18 2009. http://qed.princeton.edu/index.php/MG/Maps.

Mooney, Peter and Winstanley, Adam C. “Mapping and internet based public transportation journey planning and information systems.” in Maps and the internet edited by Michael P. Peterson, 290-310. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2005.

Qureshi, H. M. “Maps and Politics.” Learning Curve XV (2010): 56-60.

Saxe, David Warren. Land and Liberty I: a chronology of traditional American history. Boca Raton: Brown Walker Press, 2006.

Varshney, Ashutosh. “Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict, and Rationality.” apsanet.org. March 2003. http://www-personal.umich.edu/~satran/PoliSci%2006/Wk%204-2%20Sacred%20Values%20Varshney.pdf

 

 

 

[1]James S. Aber, “History of maps and cartography,” Emporia State University, 2008, http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/map/h_map/h_map.htm.

[2] Sarah Witham Bednarz, Gillian Acheson and Robert S. Bednarz, “Maps and map learning in Social Studies,” in Social Studies Today: Research and Practice ed. Walter Parker (New York: Routledge, 2010), 121.

[3] Charles F. Fuechsel, “Map,” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 2013, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/363506/map/51779/Map-projections.

[4] Charles F. Fuechsel, “Map,” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 2013, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/363506/map/51779/Map-projections.

[5] Charles F. Fuechsel, “Map,” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 2013, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/363506/map/51779/Map-projections.

[6] Charles F. Fuechsel, “Map,” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 2013, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/363506/map/51779/Map-projections.

[7] Charles F. Fuechsel, “Map,” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 2013, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/363506/map/51779/Map-projections.

[8]James S. Aber, “History of maps and cartography,” Emporia State University, 2008, http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/map/h_map/h_map.htm.

[9]Charles F. Fuechsel, “Map,” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 2013, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/363506/map/51779/Map-projections.

[10] James S. Aber, “History of maps and cartography,” Emporia State University, 2008, http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/map/h_map/h_map.htm.

[11] [11] Sarah Witham Bednarz, Gillian Acheson and Robert S. Bednarz, “Maps and map learning in Social Studies,” in Social Studies Today: Research and Practice ed. Walter Parker (New York: Routledge, 2010), 121.

[12] [12] Sarah Witham Bednarz, Gillian Acheson and Robert S. Bednarz, “Maps and map learning in Social Studies,” in Social Studies Today: Research and Practice ed. Walter Parker (New York: Routledge, 2010), 121.

[13] Sarah Witham Bednarz, Gillian Acheson and Robert S. Bednarz, “Maps and map learning in Social Studies,” in Social Studies Today: Research and Practice ed. Walter Parker (New York: Routledge, 2010), 122.

[14] “Mapping globalization,” QED Princeton, last modified September 18 2009, http://qed.princeton.edu/index.php/MG/Maps.

[15] “Mapping globalization,” QED Princeton, last modified  September 18 2009, http://qed.princeton.edu/index.php/MG/Maps.

[16] Charles F. Fuechsel, “Map,” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, 2013, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/363506/map/51779/Map-projections.

[17] Peter Mooney and Adam C. Winstanley, “Mapping and internet based public transportation journey planning and information systems,” in Maps and the internet ed. Michael P. Peterson. (Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2005), 300.

[18] David Warren Saxe, Land and Liberty I: a chronology of traditional American history, (Boca Raton: Brown Walker Press, 2006), 129.

[19]David Warren Saxe, Land and Liberty I: a chronology of traditional American history, (Boca Raton: Brown Walker Press, 2006), 129.

[20] H. M. Qureshi, “Maps and Politics,” Learning Curve XV(2010): 56-60.

[21] H. M. Qureshi, “Maps and Politics,” Learning Curve XV(2010): 56-60.

[22]H. M. Qureshi, “Maps and Politics,” Learning Curve XV(2010): 56-60.

[23]H. M. Qureshi, “Maps and Politics,” Learning Curve XV(2010): 56-60.

[24]Ashutosh Varshney, “Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict, and Rationality,” apsanet.org, March 2003, http://www-personal.umich.edu/~satran/PoliSci%2006/Wk%204-2%20Sacred%20Values%20Varshney.pdf