10 Reasons You Should Spend Time Looking at Maps
These days, maps are everywhere. From the nightly weather forecast on the local news to the smart phones that we carry in our pockets, maps have never been more accurate or accessible. But do we ever stop and think more deeply about the maps that surround us? Do we appreciate how lucky we are to have maps at our fingertips?
More than a mundane tool of the digital age, maps deserve some genuine contemplation. In order to show them the respect they deserve, here are ten reasons why you should spend more time looking at maps.
1. Maps help us get where we want to go
Since navigation is the most basic function of maps, this is the best place to start. With a bird’s eye view of the world, maps help us travel to our desired destinations. Indeed, we’ve come to rely on maps so much that sometimes it can seem like we have forgotten how to drive across town without a GPS. By looking at maps of our own cities, we can become better acquainted with our communities. We can also realize that “able to be seen from space” is meaningless when you can see your mailbox on Google Earth…
2. Maps teach us about the world
Few types of illustrations are as helpful for learning as maps. After all, Napoleon may have been defeated at Waterloo, but what good is that knowledge if you have no idea where “Waterloo” is? Maps bridge the gap between the real world and information in books or reams of data. Any field of knowledge with a geographic component can make use of a map. If you’re curious about the world, looking at maps is an essential part of learning about the planet we call home.
3. Maps make conceptual things real
We’ve covered a couple concrete reasons for looking at maps, but now let’s turn to the philosophical. At first glance, this reason to look at maps might seem strange. How do maps make “unreal” things “real”? Well, consider political maps, with countries and states. There are no big black lines marking borders between territories in the real world. But by drawing borders on maps alongside things that do exist—like mountains, roads, and cities—they can become just as real in our minds.
4. Maps reveal the unknown
In the 21st century, it is easy to think that humans have fully conquered nature. We can fly through the air, dig straight through mountains, and travel far beneath the ocean waves. But maps remind us that, for all our knowledge, we still haven’t figured everything out. Maps have always had blank spaces, incorrect shapes for coastlines, and misaligned locations. Even though there are no more landmasses to discover today, humans are continually improving the quality and precision of our maps. Closer to home, maps show us places that we have never been and invite us to explore. Millennia of development have not removed the aura and the allure of the unknown from maps.
5. Maps reflect history
Although this may seem like a similar reason to maps teaching about the world, maps reflecting history includes the maps themselves, and not just the information they convey. As maps have developed, everything from the materials and colors to the details and place names make maps historical artifacts. Each map is a snapshot of the knowledge and experiences existing at the time it was created. This quality of maps is still familiar to people today, even if we don’t realize it. For example, we use maps to record our personal histories. The sticker maps of the 50 states on many RVs is a good illustration; each new state that is added to the map represents a unique memory.
6. Maps are artistic
Throughout the centuries, maps have not only been tools, but works of art. Mapmaking required not only geographical knowledge, but artistic skill as well. Is there an empty area of ocean? Fill it with a sea monster. Need to fill in space in the corner? A mythological figure will do. Looking at maps allows us to appreciate these great works of art. Of course, the artistic element has largely been removed the digital maps we use today. Yet what satellite maps lack in human artistry is made up for in their display of natural beauty. From towering lines of mountains to the barrenness of the deserts, the earth is the work of a divine Artist.
7. Maps are symbolic
Not many people give thought to what maps symbolize for humanity. Far more than a generic tool, maps carry deep significance in human culture. When we are lost far away from home, we look for a map to guide the way to safety. Hence, maps represent comfort, rescue, and familiarity—especially in the midst of trials. In a different sphere, maps also represent the spirit of discovery and searching out the unknown. Great leaders and explorers carry maps, not to guide them, but so they can fill them in. Looking at—and using—maps draws us into their symbolism.
8. Maps show how humans perceive the world
Throughout history, human conceptions about the world have evolved and varied by culture. Is Atlas bearing the world on his shoulders? Or is it turtles all the way down? Maps reflect how these ideas have changed across times and civilizations. Every society orients its map to show what it considers important. In Medieval Europe, East was placed at the top of the map because this was the direction of Jerusalem. Going back further, the ancient Egyptians put South at the top of their maps because the Nile flows from South to North. Today, our highly detailed satellite maps are a reflection of the empirical age in which we live. Regardless of the time period, maps provide a visual illustration of how human philosophy impacts our perception of the world.
9. Maps remind us of our place in the world
The ninth reason to look at maps is that they remind us of our place in the world. It is easy to get caught up in the motions of everyday life and forget about the rest of humanity. But maps remind us that there are other people and places, and these people can live very differently from ourselves. By looking at maps, we are taught to be focused less on ourselves and to consider the needs of other people—whether they live across our city or across the globe.
10. Maps transport us to other worlds
Humans may be bound to this universe by our bodies, but our minds are free to roam across any world we can imagine. Maps bring these fantasy worlds a little closer to reality by providing a visual depiction of realms which exist in the imagination. Put simply, maps make fantasy reality. Just consider the map of Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings to see how important maps are to fiction. Tracing the path of the Fellowship away from Rivendell, across the Misty Mountains, and onward to Lothlórien makes it almost feel like a real journey.
From utility to philosophy, maps are more than meets the eye. Everyone can benefit from looking at a map. And it is easy to get started. Instead of scrolling social media in that extra ten minutes between tasks, try scrolling across a map. And from there, the limit to maps is only the human imagination.
So go look at a map—any map. Phone maps, mall maps, road maps. You won’t regret it.
Judah Bruse is a graduate student from Rapid City, South Dakota. Officially, he received a BA in Humanities from John Witherspoon College and is studying for an MA in American Government online at Regent University. Unofficially, his interests range from aviation to zoology. You can follow his random thoughts on Twitter at @judahbruse.