geography & mapping
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Like text, maps speak to us in a language of lines and symbols. They convey a sense of place at a certain time. And, they tell us stories about the past and the present. Maps are essential spatial tools that help us way-find or navigate the world. They also help us learn about and to analyze various places and situations affecting our world. Maps help us to convey information and to tell stories in a visual way.
People have been making and sharing maps for thousands of years. The earliest known map is a nearly 14,000-year-old stone tablet found in a cave in Abauntz in the Navarra region of northern Spain. Listen to the podcast below. Ari Shapiro of National Public Radio talks with John Hessler of the Library of Congress about cartography (map-making) and the history of maps. Maps may be printed on paper, or presented digitally so that they can be accessed on computers and mobile devices. Maps can focus on a large space, or a small space. Physical maps show land masses, bodies of water, mountain ranges, and other features of the Earth.
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the power of mapsTopographic maps are a type of physical map. They show natural and man-made features on Earth, and they feature contour lines to show the elevation levels of land and the depth of bodies of water. Relief maps show contours and elevations in three dimensions. They may be shaded to produce an illusion of three dimensionality, or they can actually be made three dimensional by an impression process. Such maps can be made from rubber, vinyl, or plastic. Political maps show human-created features, borders of countries, states, counties, and cities, along with place names and the shapes of land masses and bodies of water. Thematic maps tell stories about specific places. Some thematic maps show wildlife habitats, invasive species, climate zones, or forested land in an area. A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of the earth. The oldest known globe was made more than 2,100 years ago.
Learn how to use maps and compasses, and how to make maps using a variety of digital tools. Explore geography resources and careers involving geography. |
how to use maps
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mapping toolsThese digital tools will help you to use maps and to create your own maps:
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GEOGRAPHY & CareersIt all started with maps for Dr. Kathleen Sullivan. A distinguished scientist and astronaut, Dr. Sullivan explains how drawing maps in second grade opened her eyes to the storytelling power of maps. Dr. Sullivan loved poring over maps as a child. Later, maps led her to study oceanography. She now works as the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans & Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator.
Maps are important tools created by and used by people who work in many different kinds of jobs. Learn about:
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map sources
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