History of Maps and Cartography

Flashcards covering the key terms and concepts from the history of maps and cartography, including early maps, Greek contributions, projection systems, map types, and modern GIS/digital cartography.

The science and art of making maps or graphical representations showing spatial concepts at various scales; conveys geographic information for understanding features like topography, weather, and culture.

Cartography

GIS (Geographic Information System)

A computer-based system that links maps with databases, enabling dynamic mapping, data analysis, and multiple data layers.

Remote sensing

Acquiring information about objects or areas from sensors located away from them (e.g., camera, radar, lidar, satellite sensors).

Babylonian World Map (600 BCE)

One of the earliest known maps; a symbolic representation of the world drawn on clay tablets, not geographically precise.

Imago Mundi

Oldest known world map; a Babylonian map dating to the 6th century BCE.

Anaximander

Ancient Greek scholar credited with creating one of the first maps of the known world.

Greeks: early cartographers (Hecataeus, Herodotus, Eratosthenes, Ptolemy)

Greek mapmakers who used explorer observations and calculations; introduced parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude.

Ptolemy

Greek geographer who developed a coordinate system with latitude and longitude; authored Geographia, influencing modern cartography.

Eratosthenes and Ptolemy’s coordinate system

Introduced and used a grid of parallels and meridians to depict the Earth.

Geographia

Ptolemy’s atlas; early influential work in modern cartography.

Mercator projection

A cylindrical map projection by Gerardus Mercator that preserves angles, making it useful for navigation; widely adopted in teaching and maps.

Donis projection (Nicholas Germanus)

15th-century map projection with equidistant parallels and meridians converging toward the poles.

Age of Exploration

Period (15th–17th centuries) when European explorers expanded known geography and produced more accurate nautical charts.

Cartouche

Decorative frame on a map used to highlight or emphasize parts of the map.

Locator map

A small inset map showing the location of the main map within a larger region.

Inset map

A zoomed-in map showing a detailed area within the main map.

Neatline

The boundary line outlining the mapped area on the page.

Graticule

The grid of latitude and longitude lines on a map.

Projection

A method of representing the 3D Earth on a 2D plane using mathematical equations.

Topographic map

A map showing variations in elevation, typically using contour lines or shading to depict relief.

Choropleth map

A thematic map that uses shading or colors to show the value of a statistical variable.

Reference map

A map that shows locations and geographic features with no special thematic data.

Thematic map

A map that communicates specific information about a feature or phenomenon (e.g., population, disease).

Cartogram

A thematic map where a variable replaces one or more geographic dimensions (e.g., country size by population).

Topological map

A simplified map focusing on relationships and connections rather than precise geographic scale (e.g., subway maps).

Map elements

Core components including Title, Legend, Scale, Direction, Graticule, Grids/Coordinates, Projection, Inset, Labels, Neatline, and Credits.

Scale

The relationship between distances on the map and actual ground distances; larger scale shows more detail; 1:1 meaning near real size.

Direction indicator

North arrow or compass rose; on most maps, north is up.

Choropleth example (John Snow 1854)

A classic thematic map illustrating data (cholera cases) by shading areas (e.g., counties) to show patterns.

Digital cartography

Modern mapmaking using digital tools; maps are interactive, updateable in real time, and data-driven.

Common types of maps (Political vs Physical)

Political maps show boundaries; Physical maps show natural features like mountains and rivers.