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Mapping Misconceptions

1) Few people have an accurate understanding of what the world really looks like when asked to draw a map from memory. They tend to enlarge the continent they live on and diminish the importance of others like Africa. 2) Maps often inaccurately depict Europe as too large and Africa as too small due to historical mapping distortions and preconceptions of the relative importance of continents. 3) Ignorance about Africa led to a famous error where non-existent "Kong Mountains" appeared on many 19th century maps due to unverified reports and were believed for decades, influencing political decisions.

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123 views2 pages

Mapping Misconceptions

1) Few people have an accurate understanding of what the world really looks like when asked to draw a map from memory. They tend to enlarge the continent they live on and diminish the importance of others like Africa. 2) Maps often inaccurately depict Europe as too large and Africa as too small due to historical mapping distortions and preconceptions of the relative importance of continents. 3) Ignorance about Africa led to a famous error where non-existent "Kong Mountains" appeared on many 19th century maps due to unverified reports and were believed for decades, influencing political decisions.

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Rspbrry Sprkl
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Name : Alfiah Zhafirah

NIM : A011201096

Class : Inggris 24

WEEK 7

TASK / ASSIGNMENT 1

Exercise 7 Page 97

1. What happens when you ask someone to draw a map of the world? The results can be very
interesting. Few people, in fact, have a very accurate idea of what the world looks like. You
might expect some mistakes in the positions of the countries. After all, this is a task that
requires a certain skill with a pencil and a good memory. But many people do not even
know the relative size of the continents. They tend to enlarge them or make them smaller,
according to their point of view. For this reason, the home continent is often drawn too
large. A Brazilian, for example, tends to enlarge the continent of South America, while a
Vietnamese enlarges Asia.

Topic : A map of the world.


Main Idea : Few people, in fact, have a very accurate idea of what the world looks like.

2. Another common error is the tendency to make Europe too large and Africa too small.
People from all parts of the world tend to draw the world this way, including the Africans!
There are several factors that may be involved here. One factor may be the influence of old
maps made with the "Mercator projection." This technique for drawing maps makes areas
nearer the North Pole, including Europe, seem extra large. Other areas in the middle, such
as Africa, seem smaller than reality. However, the Mercator maps also enlarge Greenland
and Canada, and people usually do not make mistakes about their size. Thus, a better
explanation must lie in people's ideas about the relative importance of the continents. The
size of Europe tends to be exaggerated because of its importance in people's minds.
Similarly, Africa becomes smaller because people feel it is unimportant.

Topic : Map error.


Main Idea : Another common error is the tendency to make Europe too large and
Africa to small.

3. Ignorance about the African continent has led to some enormous errors in map making.
One of the errors now seems quite incredible. In the late 18th century, a European explorer
reported seeing mountains in southern Mali. From that report, a map maker drew in a long
line of mountains. These "Kong Mountains," as he called them, appeared on almost all
maps of Africa in the 19th century. They seemed to be an important feature of the
continental geography. European politicians and traders made decisions based on their
belief in the existence of these mountains. Finally, in the late 1880s, a French explorer
proved that there were no mountains in that part of Africa. Only then did the "Kong
Mountains" disappear from maps of Africa.

Topic : Enormous errors in map making.


Main Idea : Ignorance about the African continent has led to some enormous errors in
map making.

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