Chapter 1

Question 1

Define Cartography

Answer 1

Cartography is the science of mapmaking

Question 2

Define Maps

Answer 2

A map is a two-dimensional or flat-scale model of Earth’s surface, or a portion of it.

Question 3

Describe the two ways geographers use maps

Answer 3

1) As a reference tool to identify an object’s absolute and relative location.
2) We consult maps to generally learn where something is located.As a communications tool to convey the distribution of human activities or physical features.

Question 4

Identify the progression of early world maps

Answer 4

Earliest maps were reference tools—simple navigation devices to show a traveler how to get from Point A to Point B. The first world map prepared by Eratosthenes(276–194 B.C.) Improvements to world map later made by Ptolemy. After Ptolemy, advancements in cartography primarily made outside of Europe by Chinese and Islamic world. Mapmaking revived during the Age of Exploration and Discovery.

Question 5

Define Mental Maps

Answer 5

A mental map is a personal visualization of spatial information. In other words, it’s a map inside our own minds.

Question 6

Describe the three ways we use mental maps

Answer 6

We typically use mental maps for several reasons, including:

Finding our way from point A to point B
Organizing and storing information for future reference
A way to make meaning

Question 7

Discuss how mental maps are used in human geography

Answer 7

Mental maps provide people with essential means of making sense of the world and of storing and recalling information about the patterns of Earth’s physical and human features. These maps represent ever-changing summaries of spatial knowledge and are indicators of how well people know the spatial characteristics of places. We develop and refine our mental maps through learning from teachers and the media and through personal experience, moving from simple to more complex levels of completeness and accuracy, continuing to add layers of information so that our mental maps reflect a growing understand­ing of a changing world. As people read, hear, observe, and think more about the world around them, they add more detail and structure to their mental maps and accumulate layers of information that can be used in problem solving and decision making. Students must understand the role that perception plays in the creation and development of their understandings of the world.