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column: gea r_ c.," Penida BALI SEE INSET , a 1 U I >i:J 01" W {eJJnw adea :JDID UOfJ.JD;) I"n" All -- Q 2f /s � -,J lungkung Blongas LOMBOK SEE INSET I I p Maps have been used for centuries. The oldest discovered maps date back to 200 Be. The Inuit etched coastal maps on chunks of ivory. Polynesian sailors made nav igational maps out of sticks, vines and leaves-representing winds and currents to cross hundreds of miles of ocean. Now. in the age of satellite- and computer-designed charts, it is possi ble to produce maps of areas in which no surveyor has set foot. You can buy maps of subway systems, homes of famous people and once-secret surf spots. Map making is big business: each year Rand McNally-the world's largest private map maker-sells more than 15 million US road atlases alone, and has 24 Map and Travel stores nationwide. The US government sells or distributes over 160 million maps annually. The emergence of electronic databases is the biggest recent change in mapping. John F Shupe. the National Geographic Society's chief cartographer, says technology helps in ways few people think of. 'The most important part of cartography now," he says, "is not the wig gly lines or land forms. but the place names. Databases are so good for keeping up with political and spelling changes. You can make the most perfect map, but get one place name wrong and it's worthless." Finding an accurate map of a foreign country can be difficult. Most of the world's maps, especially small-scale topographic maps, are produced by govern ment geographers, so the quality and accuracy varies from country to country. Not that any map is completely accurate. You are, after all, taking the skin of a sphere and placing it on a flat piece of paper. "Every time you take a round Earth and put it on paper you make a compromise:' says Shupe. The best-known cartographic projection is the Mercator. Developed in > ..... • 2+0-1 <1.> ) J ..... ) <1.> ) � ).9 the 16th century, it artificially widens the gaps between lines of longitude (which converge on a globe) and keeps them parallel to each other. By doing so, the Mercator allows marine navigators to draw a straight line between any two points to set a course by that compass heading. It's still unsurpassed for sea navigation, but for depiction of land sizes it can become wildly inaccurate. Greenland, for example, becomes four times larger than it really is. The latest standard is the Robinson Projection which shows truer land sizes but distorts their shapes. The National Geographic Society-whose projection choice is noted by rest of the industry-has used the Robinson projection for 10 years. It's considering changing projections again-a move comparable to coming out with a new standard for recording music. Throw out the vinyl and buy the CDs. The place to start map hunting is THE MAP CATALOGUE, by Joel Makower (TildeniVintage Press). which lists a staggering number under such sub headings as recreation, topographic, military and nautical. THE MAP CATALOGUE is available in the reference section of most libraries. The following sources offer maps by mail. Believe it or not. a branch of the CIA-the National Technical Information Service (703-605-6000)-will sell you some of their publica tions. They offer a worldwide selection of road, city and topo maps-a good number of them in the world's political hot spots. Ask for the free catalog: CIA Maps and Publications Released to the Public. ITMlWorldwide Books and Maps (604-687-3320) is well known for its self-published maps, recommended by budget/traveler guides such as Lonely Planet. They also sell a huge number of road maps from interna tional publishers. Omni Resources (800-742-2677) specializes in international topography and is one of the few stores with a consistently good supply of Mexico maps. The Complete Traveler (888-862-0888) stocks international city maps and driving maps, and is closely tied with the Forsyth Travel Library, a European railroad pass and map service. Map Link (805-692-6777) is one of the world's largest map distributors. Map Link sells USGS lopos for all 50 stales as well as inlernational lopos. Their catalog sells for $3. Map Centre Inc (61 9-291 -3830) in San Diego, specializes, naturally, in Baja and California rnaps (including tapas), They also have a good selec tion of Latin American maps and atlases. They offer a free leaflet listing Latin America maps. 11� ______________________ YOU ARE, AFTER ALL, TAKING THE SKIN OF A SPHERE AND PLACING IT ON A FLAT PIECE OF PAPER . �J� I� Ir---�