Maps have been historically the most convenient mode of demarcating spaces. Created during a process of navigation, these are also instruments to find yourself when you get lost, and are the most used guides to finding your way, or discovering what all there is in the world! There has been a debate as to the accuracies of a map, and what goes into constructing a map. Here are some interesting points on whether or not, maps are a window to the world!
Maps are indeed one of the major instruments used all over the world, to navigate their way to different areas. They are convenient and are usually made with immense painstaking effort. Earlier, they used to be made by hand. Travelers and Explorers would use these to travel around the world. Nowadays, they are made by satellite demarcations, therefore improving and simplifying the attempt at accuracy.
Demarcates territory
This is a very important aspect. Mapping determines the contours of the world. Therefore, you understand where you are in the world. For example, in the current day, you will get an idea of what are the different nations in the world. The geography of the world is very important to understand. It helps you also gather other information such as climate changes, the environmental aspects, time zones, how much of the world is sea, and forest, and how much of the land is inhabited. It opens up your world! Looking into maps of the past could also help us understand the conquests of different monarchs, what areas they occupied, and how these areas have changed over time.
Different perspectives
A lot of criticism of the initial way that the world map had been made has led to differential creations of maps. The idea is that the world can be seen from different perspectives.
It has been pointed out that map makers also create maps with a perspective. As a result, they also tend to focus on some parts and leave out the others, based on their inclinations. For example, on the world map, Europe is seen as big, and Africa is seen as extremely small. It is inaccurate, and based on colonial politics and has been questioned extensively. Even past monarchs who had control over territory in the past often left out the suburbs and areas which they didn’t capture, where rebel groups often lived. Maps, therefore, need to be also seen critically.
What do you think?
