cartography: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 11, 2026

News •

How a hit-and-run led to a labour of love for maps artist • Nov. 8, 2026, 4:18 AM ET (BBC)

Facts

Also Known As	mapmaking • mapping

Photos and Videos

Ptolemy's map of the world, as printed at Ulm, Ger., 1482.

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

thermography map GIS coastline paradox hydrography compilation United States Geological Survey atlas photogrammetry projection materials science Earth sciences geology medicine information processing geochronology hydrologic sciences energy conversion nanotechnology drafting

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Muḥammad al-Idrīsī

Arab geographer

Gerardus Mercator

Flemish cartographer

Marie Tharp

American oceanographer and cartographer

François-Emile Matthes

American geologist

Simon Ushakov

Russian artist

Leopold, Baron von Buch

German geologist

David Thompson

English explorer

James Rennell

British geographer

Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville

French cartographer

César-François Cassini de Thury

French surveyor

Aaron Arrowsmith

British geographer and cartographer

John Adair

Scottish surveyor

Gregory King

British statistician

Abraham Ortelius

Flemish cartographer

Bartholomew Columbus

Italian explorer

John George Bartholomew

Scottish cartographer and publisher

Rodolfo Amadeo Lanciani

Italian archaeologist

Philippe Buache

French geographer and cartographer

Édouard Gaston Deville