THE Cartography it is the area of knowledge that is concerned with producing, analyzing and interpreting the different ways of representing the surface, such as maps, plans, sketches and other compositions. It is approached both as a science and an expression of art, as it also allows the production of images and cultural constructions about the spaces it represents.
In some definitions, cartography is also understood as the set of techniques resulting from direct or indirect observation (through the use of images or devices) to document, portray and represent the natural and geographic spaces for the production of charts, maps, plans, models and others documents.
In addition, there are propositions that do not consider cartography neither as an art nor as a science, but rather as a method. academic-scientific, since maps would only be the means or instruments for understanding reality and not a purpose in yourself.
Conceptual differences aside, the production of maps and drawings for the representation of space is very old. The oldest known map dates from 2,500a. C., made in Babylon on a clay plate to represent the location of a river that, according to specialists, is the Euphrates.
Since then, a lot has changed, technology has transformed sciences and societies and modern Cartography has been constituted with the improvement in measurement and the relationship between distances and measurements. Throughout the 16th century, map production underwent one of its greatest qualitative leaps, when the demand for nautical charts increased. increased due to European overseas expansions, very recurrent in a time that became known as the period of the Great Navigations.
Later, technological advances related to the three industrial revolutions allowed for an improvement of cartographic techniques, especially in the production of images from aerial photographs, procedure denominated aerophotogrammetry. The development of satellites and the Geoprocessing they were (and still are) fundamental for the improvement of maps and the function of representing geographic space.
In this section, we will address some themes related to the topic at hand, especially those that concern the understanding of maps, given that their correct reading is necessary both for Geography and for other sciences, such as History. With this, we hope to provide opportunities for learning about topics such as types of maps, cartographic elements, the notion of scale, cartographic representations and many others.
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By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography