MAP
In cartography, a map is a two-dimensional representation of the Earth's surface depicting the spatial layout of geographical features. Maps may also incorporate thematic information, such as demographic, economic, environmental, or other socio-economic data. A cartographer must make many decisions when designing a map, including the map scale, coordinate system, symbols, colors, labels, and typography. The selection of a map projection is a critical choice in map design, as every projection introduces characteristic distortions. The Mercator projection was widely used for centuries but has been criticized for depicting European nations enlarged compared to developing countries nearer to the equator.
Maps serve a wide range of purposes. One of the most common uses of maps is route planning, enabling users to find restaurants and other points of interest. Commercial and recreational traffic in the air and water use maps (called "charts" in this context): airplane traffic relies on aeronautical charts, and water traffic uses nautical charts. Scientists use maps to organize spatial data in fields such as geology, meteorology, seismology, and demographics.
Maps are used by governments for administrative functions such as census, electoral districts, property taxation, dispatching police, and coordinating disaster relief. Military and security organizations use maps for mission planning, surveillance, border management, logistics, and intelligence analysis.
One of the earliest preserved maps is from the Akkadian Empire (in modern Iraq) inscribed on a clay tablet and dated to 2300 BCE. In the 5th century BCE, Greeks were drawing maps of their known world, encompassing the Mediterranean Sea and most of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Maps played a major role in the Age of Discovery and were carried by mariners as they explored new lands. The applications of cartography expanded in the late 17th century with the invention of thematic maps, which portrayed a specific kind of data – such as rainfall or population density – in contrast to simply portraying major geographic features such as rivers, mountains, and cities. The rapid expansion of road networks and mass transit systems in the 20th century created a market for mass-produced maps aimed at the traveling public.
The development of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the modern era enabled vast amounts of geographic data to be dynamically displayed on computer screens. Unlike paper maps, GIS permits users to interactively zoom, pan, and choose which data to view. Geographic data used for mapmaking may include imagery, scanned paper maps, surveying data, geographical features, and terrain (elevation) data.
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