1 the art and science of graphically representing a geographical area,
usually on a flat surface such as a map or chart; it may involve the
superimposition of political, cultural, or other nongeographical divisions onto
the representation of a geographical area.
Cartography is an ancient discipline that dates from the prehistoric depiction
of hunting and fishing territories. The Babylonians mapped the world in a
flattened, disk-shaped form, but Ptolemy established the basis for subsequent
efforts in the 2nd century AD with an eight-volume work on geography that showed
a spherical Earth. Maps produced during the Middle Ages followed Ptolemy's
guide, but they used Jerusalem as the central feature and placed East at the
top. These representations are often called T-maps because they show only three
continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa), separated by the “T” formed by the
Mediterranean Sea and the Nile River. More accurate geographical representation
began in the 14th century when portolan (seamen's) charts were compiled for
navigation.
The discovery of the New World led to the need for new techniques in
cartography, particularly for the systematic representation on a flat surface of
the features of a curved surface (see projection; Mercator projection). The 17th
and 18th centuries saw a vast outpouring of printed maps of ever-increasing
accuracy and sophistication. Noteworthy amongthe scientific methods introduced
later was the use of the telescope for determining the length of a degree of
longitude. Modern cartography largely involves the use of aerial photographs as
a base for any desired map or chart; the procedures for translating photographic
data into maps are governed by the principles of photogrammetry (q.v.) and yield
a degree of accuracy previously unattainable. Satellite photography has made
possible the mapping of features of the Moon and of several planets and their
satellites.