In some parts of the world, people make maps out of anything handy, for example, sticks or other objects. As long as they show a place, and can help people understand the relationship between spatial phenomena, they are really maps. Some maps take even more unusual forms. We commonly use them to communicate graphic information about places to others. Politicians use maps to show territories of their political constituents, and advertisers may use maps to direct us to their products and services.
Cartographers make maps.
You become a cartographer when you draw a map to help someone find your home. This happens when you translate your mental map into a graphic representation by taking pencil to paper and showing where things are in relationship to each other. Because you draw that map by hand and make only one copy, it is considered a manuscript map. When you draw a map, you become part of a long tradition stretching back thousands of years. You join other cartographers in the field called cartography the art and science of map making.