Читать книгу Geography For Dummies - Jerry T. Mitchell - Страница 95

IN THIS CHAPTER

Knowing what a map is showing

Measuring distance and size

Taking a look at graphics

Using symbols to depict reality

Finding ways to gather information

Harnessing new technologies

I collect old maps, particularly ones of places I once lived like Maryland, Pennsylvania, California, and so on. So, I’m a geek, I guess. Before you think of yourself as being too cool, remember that no one made you pick up this book. So, I guess I’m not the only geek out there!

Of those maps, one is my most prized and until I found a copy in a dusty shop in Savannah, Georgia, I had not seen one like it. It’s a map of major world rivers and mountains published in Gray’s Atlas in 1874. But it isn’t laid out like a traditional map. Each major river is positioned side by side from longest to shortest, and each major mountain is in a row by continent from shortest to tallest. I find the comparisons and different layout fascinating and spatially pleasing for some reason only geeks like you and me can understand. A neat added feature in one corner is a smudged fingerprint. I love the idea of someone like me — or you — exploring physical Earth space with this map nearly 150 years ago.

Over the years, and much to my relief, I have met numerous other geography geeks (geography teachers and students among them) who, however meekly, admitted to similar map affections. Indeed, such behavior turns out to be perfectly normal for people who, whether or not they know it, have a yearning for geography. No doubt, that is because the map is the most basic geographical tool.

Complementing the previous chapters on Earth’s grid and the properties of projections, this chapter focuses on ways in which maps communicate information and how some of that information is obtained. Basically, this chapter is about map reading and map information for the budding geographer. Therefore, if you are, in fact, one of those people who can stare at maps for hours, then you can probably skip this chapter. But if maps confuse you or seem overwhelming, or if you have never been taught the fundamentals of maps and map reading, then this chapter is for you. While you probably won’t master all there is to know, you can familiarize yourself with enough fundamentals so that you get the message of maps.