Do you know how far back mapmaking goes? Can you answer these cartography and historic maps trivia questions? Find out now.
15 Cartography and Historic Maps Trivia Questions
- Question: What is cartography?
- Question: Who is considered the father of modern cartography?
- Question: What was the primary purpose of the Ptolemaic maps?
- Question: Which ancient civilization is known for creating some of the earliest maps?
- Question: What is the Mercator projection?
- Question: What famous map from the medieval period depicted the world with Jerusalem at its center?
- Question: Which cartographer’s atlas published in 1570 is considered one of the most important in history?
- Question: What was the primary purpose of portolan charts?
- Question: What was the significance of the Waldseemüller map of 1507?
- Question: What ancient Greek philosopher is known for his contributions to early cartography and geography?
- Question: What is the term for a map that emphasizes the geographic distribution of specific phenomena?
- Question: Which map, created by John Snow in 1854, is famous for its role in the study of epidemiology?
- Question: What innovation did the Cassini family bring to cartography in the 17th and 18th centuries?
- Question: What is the term for the science of measuring and representing the Earth’s surface?
- Question: What 16th-century cartographer is known for creating the first modern atlas?
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15 Cartography and Historic Maps Trivia Questions and Answers
1. Question: What is cartography?
Answer: Cartography is the science and art of making maps.
2. Question: Who is considered the father of modern cartography?
Answer: Gerardus Mercator is considered the father of modern cartography.
3. Question: What was the primary purpose of the Ptolemaic maps?
Answer: The primary purpose of the Ptolemaic maps was to represent the known world as described by the geographer Claudius Ptolemy.
4. Question: Which ancient civilization is known for creating some of the earliest maps?
Answer: The Babylonians are known for creating some of the earliest maps.
5. Question: What is the Mercator projection?
Answer: The Mercator projection is a cylindrical map projection that became the standard for nautical purposes because of its ability to represent lines of constant course.
6. Question: What famous map from the medieval period depicted the world with Jerusalem at its center?
Answer: The Hereford Mappa Mundi depicted the world with Jerusalem at its center.
7. Question: Which cartographer’s atlas published in 1570 is considered one of the most important in history?
Answer: Abraham Ortelius’s atlas, “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum,” published in 1570, is considered one of the most important in history.
8. Question: What was the primary purpose of portolan charts?
Answer: The primary purpose of portolan charts was to assist with maritime navigation by depicting coastlines, ports, and navigational hazards.
9. Question: What was the significance of the Waldseemüller map of 1507?
Answer: The Waldseemüller map of 1507 is significant because it was the first map to use the name “America” to refer to the New World.
10. Question: What ancient Greek philosopher is known for his contributions to early cartography and geography?
Answer: Strabo is known for his contributions to early cartography and geography.
11. Question: What is the term for a map that emphasizes the geographic distribution of specific phenomena?
Answer: The term is “thematic map.”
12. Question: Which map, created by John Snow in 1854, is famous for its role in the study of epidemiology?
Answer: John Snow’s cholera map is famous for its role in the study of epidemiology.
13. Question: What innovation did the Cassini family bring to cartography in the 17th and 18th centuries?
Answer: The Cassini family brought the innovation of systematic, large-scale topographic mapping to cartography.
14. Question: What is the term for the science of measuring and representing the Earth’s surface?
Answer: The term is “geodesy.”
15. Question: What 16th-century cartographer is known for creating the first modern atlas?
Answer: Gerardus Mercator is known for creating the first modern atlas, “Atlas sive Cosmographicae Meditationes de Fabrica Mundi et Fabricati Figura.”
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Julie L. Cleveland 