Wednesday, April 04, 2007
An Upside Down Earth
How come we decided to look at the earth the way we did? Why don't we don't we look at the earth and say 'oh look the U.S. is right above canada'? Who decded that Canada would be above the U.S.? Why couldn't the map have been the other way where mexico was on top us? I'm not mad or anything. It's just wierd. And I am curious as to know who decided which way we would design and draw all maps in the future.
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3 comments:
i have thought of this before as well...hmmm. i tried to think of a reason....but i couldn't.
wow...your right...turning the maps upside down would change things. i suppose they do this because they base it on the Sun's rotation OR historical maps and decided not to bother to change them because it would only confuse people...but i really don't know. good question...i have never thought about this.
-Cat ;)
Always Jersualem was the center of the map.
But why Europe was up and Africa was down? I would imagine it has something to do with ideas built out of astronomy since so many of the early cartographers were also astronomers and mathmaticians. But that's only a guess.
Do you know that early maps of California sometimes identified it as an island? That's because nobody could believe that the richness that was the California coast could come from something that looked like the Mojave.
It's good Blossom Dearie weather...or it should be - here, it's still too cold. But her "Once Upon a Summertime" is from heaven.
Don't let it slip past you.
always that you're well,
warmest,
A
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