Carto

== Overview ==
* Cartography, also known as Carto, is the study and practice of making maps. As Mark Monmonier states in 'How To Lie with Maps' -- "Maps have three basic attributes: scale, projection, and symbolization. Each element is a source of distortion. As a group, they describe the essence of the map's possibilities and limitations. No one can use maps or make maps safely and effectively without understand map scales, map projections, and map symbols."
== Definition ==
The study and practice of making maps. Built on the premise that reality is able to be modeled in a way that can effectively communicate spatial information. Maps or charts are usually drawn on a flat surface, and will often include the political, cultural or other non-geographical divisions that are usually attached to a geographical area.
== History ==
Cartography was just another way humans used to control their kingdoms, subjects, and enemies. Those who had the maps, had the power. Cartography, and thus, maps, have existed since the 7th millennium BCE with a wall painting. Cartography at first depicted more topographical features, such as mountains or rivers, and then battles and ownership. In 'Deconstructing the Map' by Harley, he states "The first set of cartographic rules can thus be defined in terms of a scientific epistemology. From at least the seventeenth century onward, European map-makers and map users have increasingly promoted a standard scientific model of knowledge and cognition. The object of mapping is to produce a 'correct' relational model of the terrain." The quality and correctness of the maps depended entirely on the cartographer and their ability to express topographic features in an abject way easily understood by those who had the maps. 
Cartography, as previously stated, was another way those in power controlled their Kingdoms. "The most familiar sense of power in cartography is that of power external to maps and mapping. This serves to link maps to the centers of political power. Power is exerted on cartography. Behind most cartographers there is a patron; in innumerable instances the makers of cartographic texts were responding to external needs." Harley goes on to state: "Power is also exercised with cartography. Monarchs, ministers, state institutions, the Church, have all initiated programs of mapping for their own ends." Obviously cartography has a long history of power and information that was carefully controlled, and then constantly changing with new technologies such as the compass, printing press, and 21st century technologies such as satellite imagery, etc. 
 
 
 
== References and Further Readings ==
J.B. Harley 'Deconstructing the Map' http://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/passages/4761530.0003.008/--deconstructing-the-map?rgn=main;view=fulltext
Mark Monmonier 'How to Lie with Maps' http://courses.washington.edu/war101/readings/Monmonier.pdf
Katharine Harmon 'You Are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination' https://wamspring2015.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/harmon-you-are-here.pdf
http://nmlproject.com/2014/07/17/maps-cracks-and-the-geographical-imagination-of-no-mans-land/
== Keywords ==
Carto, Cartography, Harmon, Harley, Monmonier, Maps, Geographies, Power, Deconstruction, Topographical.Category:Keyword
Category:Cartography
Category:Maps
Category:Power
Category:Deconstruction
Category:Topographical
Category:Topography
Category:Monmonier
Category:Harley
Category:Harmon
Category:Geographies
Category:Mapping
Category:Physical location
Category:Cato
Category:Carto