Cartography

Allison Thatcher, Laura Levy, Sabrina RostaPhysics 001

Before Cartography Was Discovered…..

● The earliest maps were believed to be drawn on clay tablets by the Babylonians dating back to 2300 BCE.

● It can be assumed that mapmaking goes back much further, and it began amongst nonliterate people.

● Markings on cave walls that are associated with the primitive man have been identified to show trails of animals by some archaeologists, even though there is some dispute over whether these are actually maps or not.

Before Cartography Was Discovered…..

● There is no documented time in which mapmaking was first used.

● However, we can assume that the early man needed ways to remember where his food was.

● Otherwise, when the early humans migrated, there would be no way to find food, other than basic instinct.

● Due to this, prehistoric cartography often depicted hunting and fishing territories.

Concept of Cartography● Cartography is used to describe

different things, such as patterns and processes, through visualization with the help of geography.

● Geography plays a big role in cartography and without the understanding of it we would not be able to create maps.

Concept of Cartography ● Cartography is constantly changing

with technology to be more accessible. ● Cartography has a strong reputation of

being accurate. ● It takes much detail and skill to create

a map depicting different places and that is why people rely on them so much.

Effect on Society● Cartography and maps of present day

allow us to understand and navigate the world we live in.

● It is true that without technologies such as GPS and the widespread availability of the internet we would be much less connected and informed in our lives.

Effects on Society● With the use of GPS we have the

freedom to travel and wander the Earth, assured that we will find our way home.

BibliographyFueschsel, Charles F. "Map | Cartography." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.

"Cartographer." We Use Math. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.

‘Map History/History of Cartography” WWW-Virtual Library Sunday 1 March 2015