If geography is prose, maps are iconography.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Two important characteristics of maps should be noticed. A map is not the territory it represents, but, if correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for its usefulness.
The earliest maps were 'story' maps. Cartographers were artists who mingled knowledge with supposition, memory and fears. Their maps described both landscape and the events, which had taken place within it, enabling travellers to plot a route as well as to experience a story.
For novelists, the imagination is everything. The trick is to guide one's imagination using research. I love using old maps. When I wrote my novels on London and New York, I found wonderful historical atlases. Paris has the most lavish maps of all.
Cartography and geographic thinking are cool.
There's just something hypnotic about maps.
When I'm traveling the world, I don't ever look anymore at the geography - just enough to catch galleries and paintings.
Wars of nations are fought to change maps. But wars of poverty are fought to map change.
Even before you understand them, your brain is drawn to maps.
Our intention and aspiration is to continue building out thematic information about every subject - basemaps, imagery, demographics, landscape data, etc. - so anyone can use it to access thousands of authoritative maps.
Geography is about maps, but biography is about chaps.