The History of Cartography

Cartography is defined as the science and art of making maps or graphical representations showing spatial concepts at various scales. Maps convey geographic information about a place and can be useful in understanding topography, weather, and culture, depending upon the type of map.   Early forms of cartography were practiced on clay tablets and cave walls. Today, maps can show a plethora of information. Technology such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allows maps to be made relatively easily with computers. Early Maps and Cartography Some of the earliest known maps date back to 16,500 BCE and show the night sky rather than the Earth. Ancient cave paintings and rock carvings also depict landscape features like hills and mountains. Archaeologists believe that these paintings were used both to navigate the areas they showed and to portray the areas that people visited.   Maps were created in ancient Babylonia (mostly on clay tablets), and it is believed that they were drawn with very accurate surveying techniques. These maps showed topographical features like hills and valleys but also had labeled features. The Babylonian World Map, created in 600 BCE, is considered to be the earliest map of the world. It is unique because it is a symbolic representation of the Earth. Ancient Greeks created the earliest paper maps that were used for navigation, and to depict certain areas of the Earth. Anaximander was the first of the ancient Greeks to draw a map of the known world, and, as such, he is considered to be one of the first cartographers. Hecataeus, Herodotus, Eratosthenes, and Ptolemy were other well-known Greek map makers. The maps they drew were based on explorer observations and mathematical calculations.   The ancient Greek maps are important to the history of cartography because they often showed Greece as being at the center of the world and surrounded by an ocean. Other early Greek maps show the world as divided into two continents—Asia and Europe. These ideas came largely out of Homer’s works as well as other early Greek literature. Many Greek philosophers considered the Earth to be spherical, and this knowledge influenced their cartography. Ptolemy, for instance, created maps by using a coordinate system with parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude to accurately show areas of the Earth as he knew it. This system became the basis for today’s maps, and his atlas Geographia is considered to be an early example of modern cartography. In addition to the ancient Greek maps, early examples of cartography also come out of China. These maps date to the fourth century BCE and were drawn on wooden blocks or produced on silk. Early Chinese maps from the Qin State show various territories with landscape features such as the Jialing River system as well as roads. These are considered some of the world’s oldest economic maps. Cartography continued to develop in China throughout its various dynasties, and in 605 CE an early map using a grid system was created by Pei Ju of the Sui Dynasty. In 801 CE, the Hai Nei Hua Yi Tu (Map of Both Chinese and Barbarian Peoples Within the [Four] Seas) was created by the Tang Dynasty to show China as well as its Central Asian colonies. The map was 30 feet (9.1 meters) by 33 feet (10 meters) and used a grid system with a highly accurate scale.   In 1579, the Guang Yutu atlas was produced; it contained over 40 maps that used a grid system and showed major landmarks like roads and mountains as well as the borders of different political areas. Chinese maps from the 16th and 17th centuries continued to develop in sophistication and clearly showed regions that were newly being explored. By the middle of the 20th century, China developed an Institute of Geography that was responsible for official cartography. It emphasized fieldwork in the production of maps focused on physical and economic geography. European Cartography European early medieval maps were mainly symbolic, similar to those that came out of Greece. Beginning in the 13th century, the Majorcan Cartographic School was developed. This school was a collaboration of mostly Jewish cartographers, cosmographers, navigators, and navigational instrument-makers. The Majorcan Cartographic School invented the Normal Portolan Chart—a nautical mile chart that used gridded compass lines for navigation.   Cartography developed further in Europe during the Age of Exploration as cartographers, merchants, and explorers created maps showing the new areas of the world that they visited. The cartographers also developed detailed nautical charts and maps that were used for navigation. In the 15th century, Nicholas Germanus invented the Donis map projection with equidistant parallels and meridians that converged toward the poles.   In the early 1500s, the first maps of the Americas were produced by the Spanish cartographer and explorer, Juan de la Cosa, who sailed with Christopher Columbus. In addition to maps of the Americas, he created some of the first maps that showed the Americas together with Africa and Eurasia. In 1527, Diogo Ribeiro, a Portuguese cartographer, designed the first scientific world map called the Pà ¡dron Real. This map was important because it very accurately showed the coasts of Central and South America and showed the extent of the Pacific Ocean.   In the mid-1500s, Gerardus Mercator, a Flemish cartographer, invented the Mercator map projection. This projection was based on mathematics and was one of the most accurate for worldwide navigation that was available at the time. The Mercator projection eventually became the most widely used map projection and was a standard taught in cartography. Throughout the rest of the 1500s and into the 1600s and 1700s, further European exploration resulted in the creation of maps showing various parts of the world that had not been mapped before. At the same time as the mapped territory expanded, cartographic techniques continued to grow in their accuracy. Modern Cartography Modern cartography began with the advent of a variety of technological advancements. The invention of tools like the compass, telescope, the sextant, quadrant, and printing press all allowed for maps to be made more easily and accurately. New technologies also led to the development of different map projections that more precisely showed the world. For example, in 1772, the Lambert conformal conic was created, and in 1805, the Albers equal area-conic projection was developed. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the United States Geological Survey and the National Geodetic survey used new tools to map trails and to survey government lands. In the 20th century, the use of airplanes to take aerial photographs changed the types of data that could be used to create maps. Satellite imagery has since become a major source of data and is used to show large areas in great detail. Finally, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a relatively new technology that is changing cartography today because it allows for many different types of maps using various types of data to be easily created and manipulated with computers.

Argument Analysis - Declaration of Independence Essay

Argument Analysis - Declaration of Independence In May of 1776 a resolution was passed at the Virginia Convention in Williamsburg that asked the thirteen American colonies to declare the United Colonies free and independent from the British crown. At the second continental congress the resolution passed and on June 11, 1776 a five-man committee led by Thomas Jefferson was established to write the Declaration of Independence. On July 4, 1776 the members of the second continental congress signed into existence one of the most influential documents in history. The way that Jefferson structured The Declaration of Independence made the article extremely influential. Jefferson first starts by sharing his belief†¦show more content†¦One reason that The Declaration of Independence was so influential was that Thomas Jefferson’s claims against the King of England were easy to understand and logical. Typical complaints include â€Å"For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us;† and â€Å"For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.† Jefferson uses plain language that everyone can understand to point out large injustices done by the king. His statements about the King are short and to the point. He does not waste any words or bore the reader with abstract writing or excess words and thoughts. He goes from one point to the next to the next in such a fashion that the reader’s concentration is never broken. His points are logical and everyone living in the colonies at that time and many people around the world probably had some idea of the incidents behind all his grievances against the king. Jefferson raps up the injustices done by the king by declaring the United Colonies to be free and independent states. 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Servitude and Deception in Dr. Faustus free essay sample

How Faustus comes full circle in his realization that he is not, nor has he ever been, the master of his fate. This essay examines the relationship between Faustus and Mephistopheles in Marlowes original Dr. Faustus. It successfully argues that although Faustus thoroughly believes that he is in control of his own destiny and the magic that he wields, he is really nothing more than a pawn of the devil, and eventually, will come full circle in his life as he begins to realize that he never had control of Mephistopheles rather quite the opposite. Christopher Marlowes tragedy Doctor Faustus is a Renaissance play about greed, good versus evil, and the corruption that often accompanies the quick acquisition of power and material wealth. The play chronicles the later life of the theologian and scholar Dr. John Faustus; a man who has become bored with the seeming mundane and slow progression of his studies and who longs for the power and omniscience of a deity. We will write a custom essay sample on Servitude and Deception in Dr. Faustus or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In return for these blessings, he agrees to sell his soul to Lucifer, the ruler of Hell, partially because he realizes that the Judeo-Christian god will not grant him such power, and partly because the path he chooses is quicker and easier than a life of academic study.

My Favorite Room Essays - Millwall F.C., The Old Den,

My Favorite Room My Den is a great place to hang out, play some pool, or just get away from the stress of every day life. My Den offers superior sound and entertainment. It has no stress related items such as a telephone, computer, desk, and no pagers are allowed. This room represents fun and relaxation for all that enter the room. My entertainment center offers a wood grain big screen TV. Complete with surround sound and multi-function remote. The picture within picture offers dual sport viewing, to bring live sports action to the room. For half-time entertainment, guest can enjoy a antique carved wood clawed foot professional size pool table, which was bought from Minnesota Fats estate auction. Billiard action is well lit by the hand cut glass Billiard lamp hanging from the open wood beam ceiling. Lazy Boys abound sitting on top of genuine hand pegged oak floors. Guest never leave hungry or thirsty as the hand carved saloon for is always well stocked with cold beverages and hardy sandwich fixins. To create a totally stress free environment the following rules must be observed. No ties, briefcases or any other work related articles. No phones or pagers are allowed so there are no interruptions. These are to insure a fun and relaxing time. My Den is a great place to hang out, play some pool, or just get away from the stress of every day life. It is almost impossible not to have a good time when you are in my den. Outline A. Introduction B. Why the den is a great place to hang out. C. Pooltable D. Get away from stress of everyday life. E. Closing paragraph