Importance of the World Map

We need to locate ourselves in the space that surrounds us. With a piece of paper and a pencil we can draw a small sketch of our neighborhood. If we want to move around a city, it is already necessary to consult a more complex plan. And if we need to understand the entire planet, we will have to consult a world map or world map, since both spellings are correct.

It is an element that has existed since Antiquity, that is, since man set out to discover the lands in which he lived, recognizing more and more space around him. As time passed, the recognition that the human being made of the planet Earth was older and it was not until the fifteenth century when he had to go out to cross the seas that they began to be included in the mapping official territories that until then were unknown to exist, such as America, the African continent or Oceania.

All these territories were being progressively included as the European man carried out overseas travels in search of new lands and each time he established contact with new populations. Nowadays it is considered that there is a complete visualization of the planet because it has been able to be observed even from the outside from the use of satellites in orbit.

What can we learn from these maps?

In principle, we become familiar with a discipline, the geography (Everyone knows the classic distinction between physical geography and political geography). In addition, a world map is made with cartographic criteria and measurements.

If we want to understand the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean, it is very convenient to resort to an image where information can appear on maritime routes, Roman roads, the limits of empires, etc

Historical events are related to advances in cartography. The travels of Marco Polo, the discovery of America or the expeditions to the North Pole are some examples that illustrate the close link between maps and the great milestones of humanity.

The distribution of languages ​​on the planet and their relationship with the different colonial empires is also shown on a world map. On the other hand, without a map it would be impossible to understand the conflicts that affect the world order.

World Map (click to enlarge)

Things are not what they seem

We have all seen a world map showing the continents. The image we see is based on the so-called Mercator map. This denomination is related to Gerardus Mercator, a German cartographer who in the 16th century designed the first world map of the modern era.

The so-called Mercator projection continues to be used today and is the most widespread in map making. However, this projection of the Earth does not reflect the true measurements of the different territories.

In fact, there is a significant deformation of the northern hemisphere. Thus, the territory of Alaska is similar in size to Mexico, but in reality Alaska is much larger. small and Greenland appears with a surface similar to the African continent, when Africa is much elderly.

Some cartographers are in favor of other projections more adjusted to geographic reality.

In the Peters projection, the representation of the world map is totally proportional, since the surface of the territories that appears corresponds to the real surface.

Photos: iStock. HS3RUS / Pomogaev