From the time humans began to draw maps, they have helped people find their way around their environments. But maps can show many things, not just which direction to go. They show the history, the development of math, and the progress of technology.
One of the oldest-known land maps is an almost 1,600-year-old board from Southwest Asia. The map shows a piece of round land that is divided by a river. Around the land is the ocean. And the writing on themap describes animals and persons that were important to the ancient people of the area.
Around AD 150, a Greek scientist drew north-south and east-west lines on a map. This was the first time that math was used in mapping and was an early try to show the earth's shape on a piece of paper.
Early humans mapped the sky too. People found a star map on a cave(山洞)wall in France. It is nearly 17,000 years old. It is a map of three stars. People at that time might use it to record time and direction.
Now that you know a little about the early history of maps, let's learn some fun facts.
East at the Top
These days, most maps have north at the top. However, during the Middle Ages, most maps had east at the top.
Modern Technology
Thanks to technology development, apps like Google Maps can show changes in traffic, population, and geography right away.