THE cartography it is the area of knowledge that is concerned with studying, analyzing and producing maps, cartograms, plans and other types of graphic representations of space. It is, therefore, a set of scientific and even artistic techniques that aim at the elaboration of documents that represent a certain location in a reduced way.
Despite currently relying on advanced techniques and modern equipment, this is an extremely ancient, as it has been around since man learned that it would be better to know places by drawing them on pieces of rocks. The oldest known map is 4,500 years old and was probably produced by the Babylonian peoples. It was produced on a clay plate and probably represents the Euphrates River valley area.
Over time, cartographic techniques have improved, especially during the period of large navigations, in which Europeans used maps to find new sea routes and discover new territories. Here we have the constitution of Cartography as a modern science. Evolution, however, did not stop there, so cartographic techniques became more refined, especially during periods of war and great scientific revolutions.
In the 20th century, a new era was established in cartography with the use of aerial photography to aid the production of maps, a technique called aerophotogrammetry. Shortly thereafter, the Third Industrial Revolution provided for the development of even more advanced procedures.
Nowadays, thanks to the advances made in the informational media, the production of maps has complex elaboration and representation techniques, involving computers, satellites, softwares and many other equipment.
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The problems of cartography
Representing a given physical reality on a plane is not a very simple task, especially when this representation involves the entire globe. The first problem is that the Earth has a spherical shape, which makes it impossible to represent it in plane. The second problem is that this sphere is not perfect, having not very well defined contours and features.
The first problem was, in a way, solved by Karl F. Gauss (1777-1855), a noted mathematician who developed the concept of Geoid, who considers the shape of the Earth without considering the continents, that is, just imagining what it would be like if there were only the oceans. Over time, cartographers have been advancing this idea and approaching the form that currently characterizes terrestrial globes.
The second problem is impossible to be totally solved. However, the best solution was the elaboration of the so-called Cartographic Projections, in which the Earth is now represented in a plan in different ways, sometimes distorting the shapes of the continents, sometimes distorting their areas and sometimes distorting both. There are numerous projections of the Earth today, each serving a particular interest or aspect of the Earth's surface.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PENA, Rodolfo F. Alves. "What is Cartography?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/o-que-e/geografia/o-que-e-cartografia.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
