Map - Wikipedia Jump to content Main menu Main menu move to sidebar hide Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Special pages Search Search Appearance Donate Create account Log in Personal tools Donate Create account Log in Contents move to sidebar hide (Top) 1 Definition and etymology 2 Applications 3 History Toggle History subsection 3.1 Antiquity to 14th century 3.2 15th to 19th centuries 3.3 20th century to present 4 Design Toggle Design subsection 4.1 Layout and hierarchy 4.2 Shape and neatline 4.3 Scale 4.4 Generalization 4.5 Symbolization 4.6 Projection 4.7 Coordinate system 4.8 Colors and patterns 4.9 Typography and labels 4.10 Orientation 4.11 Accessibility 4.12 Auxiliary elements 5 Types Toggle Types subsection 5.1 Thematic and general reference 5.2 Quantitative and qualitative 5.2.1 Classifying data 5.3 Topological 5.4 Cartogram 5.5 Topographic and planimetric 5.6 Interactive 5.7 Photomap 5.8 Extraterrestrial 5.9 Classified by medium 6 Cartographic data Toggle Cartographic data subsection 6.1 Cartographic databases 6.2 Georeferencing 6.3 Imagery and remote sensing 6.4 Rectified imagery 6.5 Searching and indexing 6.6 Raster and vector data 6.7 Attributes and metadata 6.8 Accuracy 6.8.1 Terminology 6.8.2 Accuracy estimates 7 Publication and distribution 8 Profession and regulation 9 Society and culture Toggle Society and culture subsection 9.1 Bias and disinformation 9.2 Boundary disputes 9.3 Gerrymandering 9.4 Fantasy maps 9.5 Orienteering 10 References Toggle References subsection 10.1 Footnotes 10.2 Citations 10.3 Sources 10.3.1 Books 10.3.2 Journals, news, and websites 10.3.3 Unknown author Toggle the table of contents Map 137 languages Acèh Afrikaans Aragonés Ænglisc العربية مصرى অসমীয়া Asturianu अवधी Azərbaycanca Башҡортса Žemaitėška Беларуская (тарашкевіца) Беларуская Български भोजपुरी Banjar বাংলা Bosanski Català 閩東語 / Mìng-dĕ̤ng-ngṳ̄ ᏣᎳᎩ کوردی Čeština Чӑвашла Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Esperanto Español Eesti Euskara Estremeñu فارسی Suomi Na Vosa Vakaviti Føroyskt Français Frysk Gaeilge 贛語 Gàidhlig Galego ગુજરાતી עברית हिन्दी Hrvatski Magyar Հայերեն Interlingua Bahasa Indonesia Iñupiatun ГӀалгӀай Ido Íslenska Italiano 日本語 Jawa ქართული Qaraqalpaqsha Taqbaylit Tyap Gĩkũyũ Қазақша ಕನ್ನಡ 한국어 کٲشُر Кыргызча Latina Lëtzebuergesch Lombard Lietuvių Latviešu Minangkabau Македонски മലയാളം Монгол ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ मराठी Bahasa Melayu မြန်မာဘာသာ Nedersaksies नेपाली नेपाल भाषा Li Niha Nederlands Norsk nynorsk Norsk bokmål Oromoo ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski پنجابی Português Runa Simi Română Armãneashti Русский Саха тыла Scots سنڌي Davvisámegiella Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски සිංහල Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Shqip Српски / srpski Sunda Svenska Kiswahili Ślůnski தமிழ் తెలుగు Тоҷикӣ ไทย Tagalog Toki pona Türkçe Татарча / tatarça Українська اردو Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча Vèneto Tiếng Việt Walon Winaray Wolof 吴语 IsiXhosa მარგალური ייִדיש 文言 閩南語 / Bân-lâm-gí 粵語 中文 Edit links Article Talk English Read Edit View history Tools Tools move to sidebar hide Actions Read Edit View history General What links here Related changes Upload file Permanent link Page information Cite this page Get shortened URL Switch to legacy parser Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikivoyage Wikidata item Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Symbolic depiction of spatial relationships For other uses, see Map (disambiguation), Maps (disambiguation), and Mapping. Part of a series on Maps and Cartography Cartographers History Map types Aeronautical Cartogram Choropleth Geological Linguistic Nautical Pictorial Subway Thematic Topographic Topological Weather Design Generalization Labeling Layout Projection Scale Symbology Notable maps Cantino Cassini Catalan Atlas Cosmographia Juan de la Cosa List of early maps Ptolemy Soleto Tabula Rogeriana Other Atlas Computer cartography Fantasy Geodesy GIS Organizations Photogrammetry Toponymy v t e In cartography, a map is a representation or abstraction of geographical reality. Maps are used for a wide range of purposes, including navigation, scientific research, governance, and warfare. A common use is route planning, enabling users to find their way to their destination. Specialized maps, called charts, are used for nautical navigation (nautical charts) and aviation (aeronautical charts). Scientists use maps to organize spatial data in fields such as geology, meteorology, seismology and demographics. Governments use maps for administrative functions such as census, electoral districts, property taxation, dispatching police, and coordinating disaster relief. Military and security organizations use maps for mission planning, surveillance, border management, logistics, and intelligence analysis. One of the earliest preserved maps is from the Akkadian Empire (in modern Iraq) inscribed on a clay tablet and dated to 2300 BCE. By the 5th century BCE, Greeks were drawing maps of their known world, encompassing the Mediterranean Sea and most of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Maps were important tools in the Age of Discovery, when mariners used them to explore new lands. The applications of cartography expanded in the late 17th century with the development of thematic maps, which portrayed specific kinds of data – such as rainfall or population density – rather than focusing on geographic features such as rivers, mountains, and cities. The rapid expansion of road networks and mass transit systems in the 20th century created a market for mass-produced maps aimed at the traveling public. The development of computer cartography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) enabled the storage of vast amounts of geographic data, which could be dynamically displayed and analyzed. Unlike paper maps, interactive maps permit users to interactively zoom, pan, and choose which data to view. Geographic data used for mapmaking includes imagery, scanned paper maps, surveying measurements, geographical features, and terrain (elevation) data. Designing a map is a complex process involving the selection and arrangement of graphical elements to create a map that is informative, useful, and uncluttered. Because the amount of geographic data available is often more than can be effectively displayed, map designers must apply a generalization process to decide which elements to display and which to omit. The amount of detail is influenced by the map scale, expressed as a ratio between a distance on the map and the corresponding distance on the ground. The choice of a map projection is fundamental, as every projection introduces characteristic distortions. Geographic coordinates may be displayed as latitude and longitude, or in a Cartesian (XY grid) system. In addition to geographic data, maps may include supplemental elements such as a legends, scale bars, north arrows, or inset maps. Definition and etymology [edit source] The word "map" first appeared in English around 1527 CE. It originated from the Late Latin word mappa ('napkin, cloth') arising in Classical Latin. Alternatively, it may have stemmed from French mappemonde or Latin mappa mundi (both 'map of the world').[1] The meaning of "map" depends on the context.[2][a] Within the realm of cartography, early definitions focused on representations of the Earth printed on paper, as in the 1938 definition by Erwin Raisz (in the first major book on cartography in the English language)[b]: "a conventionalized picture of the Earth's pattern as seen from above, to which lettering is added for identification".[3] In the late 20th century – following the advent of computers and interplanetary exploration – the cartographic community adopted broader definitions which included media other than paper and depictions of things other than the Earth, as in the brief 1976 definition by the cartographer Arthur H. Robinson: "a graphic representation of the milieu".[5] A definition created in 1987 by John Brian Harley and David Woodward is "graphic representations that facilitate a spatial understanding of things, concepts, conditions, processes, or events in the human world".[6] Later definitions widened to encompass maps as abstract models, such as the 1992 definition "a representation or abstraction of geographical reality: a tool for presenting geographical information in a way that is visual, digital or tactile".[7][c] Outside of cartography, "map" is used as an analogy or metaphor in a broad range of contexts.[8] In the nineteenth century, the New English Dictionary (predecessor to the Oxford English Dictionary) included the definition "circumstantial account of a state of things".[9] The Oxford English Dictionary, as of 2026, includes the primary definition (a representation of the Earth's surface) and also includes "a diagram or collection of data showing the spatial distribution of something or the relative positions of its components" and the figurative meaning "a conceptualization or mental representation of the structure, extent, or layout of an area of experience, field of study, or ideology".[1] This article is devoted to cartographic maps and does not address metaphorical or figurative maps. Applications [edit source] Pilots use aeronautical charts, such as this one covering Puerto Rico, for navigation. Maps are used by military commanders to plan and monitor campaigns, and by historians to document the events. This map is of Operation Typhoon. Maps support a large variety of purposes and functions. Common applications of maps in everyday life include navigation and route planning: they are useful for finding nearby points of interest such as hospitals, gas stations, hotels, restaurants and parks.[10] People planning vacations or outings often rely on maps to identify destinations, using road maps and tourism-related maps.[11] Commercial and recreational traffic in the air and water uses maps (called "charts" in this context): airplane traffic relies on aeronautical charts, and water traffic uses nautical charts.[12] Military and security forces use maps for mission planning, surveillance, border management, and intelligence analysis.[13] Politicians use maps to promote political agendas or propaganda, whether within a nation or related to international disputes.[14] In the commercial realm, maps are used for advertising and other persuasive purposes.[15] Government-related applications include census, elections, administration, and property taxation.[16] Local or regional governments use maps for urban planning purposes such as designing roads, public transportation, housing developments, and green spaces.[17] Public and private utilities use maps to maintain distribution systems for water, electricity, gas, telecommunications, and sewers.[18] Emergency, fire, and police services use maps for evacuation planning, dispatching fire or police responders, and coordinating disaster relief.[19] Cadastral maps are an essential tool for managing real property boundaries, which are required for monitoring construction progress and creating zoning regulations.[20] Governments can also use maps to inform policy decisions about voting district boundaries, labor force analysis, utility service planning, planning social and educational services, poverty analysis, marketi…