Maps

1. Babylonian maps

700 BCE

Babylonia's first "Map of the World" was created in a clay tablet showing the city of Babylon. Cite: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sargon/essentials/countries/babylonia/

2. First Greek paper maps

546 BCE

The ancient Greeks pioneered paper maps for navigation and to illustrate specific areas of the Earth. Anaximander was the first Greek cartographer, and other well-known mapmakers include Hecataeus, Herodotus, Eratosthenes, and Ptolemy. These maps, based on explorer observations and mathematical calculations, often portrayed Greece at the center of the world and the world divided into two continents, Asia and Europe.

3. Longitude and Latitude

150 BCE

Greek philosophers believed in the Earth's spherical shape, and this belief influenced their cartography. Ptolemy used a coordinate system with parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude to create accurate maps which was made by Hipparchus, a Greek astronomer and geographer.

4. Globe

100

The globe made by Crates of Mallus is believed to have been created in the 2nd century BCE and is the oldest surviving example of a terrestrial globe. The globe was made of stone and depicted a world map based on the geographical knowledge of the time, including the Mediterranean Sea and the surrounding lands. Cite: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/globe/

5. Chinese grid system map

605

Cartography in China developed through different dynasties, and Pei Ju of the Sui Dynasty created an early map using a grid system in 605 CE. The Tang Dynasty produced the "Hai Nei Hua Yi Tu" in 801 CE, a large map depicting China and its Central Asian colonies. The map was highly accurate and used a grid system with a precise scale, measuring 30 feet by 33 feet. Cite: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/28618

6. Age of Exploration

1401

Cartography advanced during Europe's Age of Exploration, as cartographers, merchants, and explorers created maps of newly discovered territories. Detailed nautical charts and maps were developed for navigation. In the 15th century, Nicholas Germanus invented the Donis map projection, which used equidistant parallels and meridians that converged towards the poles. Cite: https://online.kidsdiscover.com/unit/maps/topic/maps-during-the-age-of-exploration

7. America's maps

1527

In the early 1500s, Juan de la Cosa, a Spanish cartographer and explorer who sailed with Christopher Columbus, created the first maps of the Americas and maps that showed the Americas with Africa and Eurasia. Diogo Ribeiro, a Portuguese cartographer, designed the first scientific world map in 1527, called the Pádron Real. Cite: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/07/the-shape-of-the-world-according-to-old-maps/

8. Map projections

1569

Gerardus Mercator, a Flemish cartographer, developed the Mercator map projection, which was based on mathematics and was one of the most accurate map projections available for worldwide navigation. The Mercator projection became the most widely used map projection and a standard in cartography education.

9.

1960

In the 20th century, the introduction of aerial photography by airplanes allowed cartographers to use new types of data for map-making. With the advent of satellite imagery, it became possible to create detailed maps of large areas. The development of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in recent years has revolutionized cartography by making it easier to create and manipulate different types of maps using a wide range of data sources.