Definition
The science and art of making maps and charts, including the study of map-making techniques, design principles, and geographic representation. It combines scientific accuracy with artistic visualization.
Etymology
From French 'cartographie,' coined in the 19th century from Latin 'charta' (paper, map) and Greek 'graphein' (to write or draw). The term emerged as map-making became more scientific and systematic during the age of exploration.
Kelly Says
Cartographers are the unsung heroes who translate our three-dimensional world onto flat surfaces - a mathematical impossibility that requires choosing what to distort. Every world map you've seen makes compromises, whether stretching Greenland or squashing Africa, because you simply can't flatten a sphere perfectly.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ካርቶግራፊ
kʷar.to.ɡra.fi
ARالعربية
kartūghrāfīyah
kar.to.ɣraː.fi.jah
BNবাংলা
মানচিত্রবিদ্যা
mān.chi.tro.bi.dʒa
CACatalà
cartografia
kar.toˈɡra.fi.a
CSČeština
kartografie
kar.toˈɡra.fi.e
DADansk
kortlægning
kʰoɐ̯dlɛɣneŋ
DEDeutsch
Kartografie
kaʁ.toˈɡʁa.fiː
ELΕλληνικά
χαρτογραφία
xar.toˈɣra.fi.a
ESEspañol
cartografía
kar.to.ɣraˈfi.a
FAفارسی
کارتوگرافی
kār.to.ɡra.fi
FISuomi
kartografia
kar.toˈɡra.fi.a
FRFrançais
cartographie
kaʁ.tɔ.ɡʁa.fi
HAHA
zane da taswira
za.ne da ta.swi.ra
HEעברית
קרטוגרפיה
kar.to.ɡra.fi.ja
HIहिन्दी
मानचित्रकला
mān.chi.tra.kalā
HUMagyar
térképészet
teːr.keː.pɛs.zɛt
IDBahasa Indonesia
kartografi
kar.to.ɡra.fi
IGIG
akwụkwọ akụkọ ọdịnihu
a.kwu.kwɔ a.ku.kɔ o.ɗi.ni.hu
ITItaliano
cartografia
kar.toˈɡra.fi.a
KKKK
карта жасау
kar.ta dʒa.sa.w
KMKM
ការផលិតផែនទី
kaː rɔː.pʰɑlɪt pʰɛːn tiː
MSBahasa Melayu
kartografi
kar.to.ɡra.fi
MYမြန်မာ
မြေပုံလွှာရေးခြယ်ခြင်း
mjaʊʔ.pouɴ.lwà.jé.tɕaɴ
NLNederlands
cartografie
kɑr.toˈɡra.fi
NONorsk
kartografi
kɑr.toˈɡra.fi
PAPA
ਨਕਸ਼ਾਕਾਰੀ
nakʃɑː.kaː.ri
PLPolski
kartografia
kar.toˈɡra.fja
PTPortuguês
cartografia
kɐʁ.toˈɡɾa.fi.ɐ
RORomână
cartografie
kar.toˈɡra.fi.e
RUРусский
картография
kar.tɐˈɡʁafʲɪ.jə
SVSvenska
kartografi
kɑr.toˈɡra.fi
SWKiswahili
kijiografia
ki.dʒi.ɔ.ɡra.fi.a
TAதமிழ்
வரைபடவியல்
varai.pa.ɖa.vi.jal
TEతెలుగు
మ్యాపింగ్
myā.piŋ
THไทย
ภูมิศาสตร์
pʰuːmī.sāt
TLTL
kartograpiya
kar.toˈɡra.pi.ja
TRTürkçe
haritacılık
ha.ri.ta.dʒɯ.lɯk
UKУкраїнська
картографія
kar.toˈɡra.fija
URاردو
نقشہ سازی
naqsha sazi
VITiếng Việt
bản đồ học
baʊn ɗɔ hɔk
YOYO
ìṣẹ́ àyíká
i.ʃe a.yi.ka
ZUZU
ukukhiwa kwemaphi
u.ku.kʰi.wa kʷe.ma.pi
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Cartography was professionalized as a male discipline; women cartographers (like Mary Somerville) were excluded from royal academies and societies. Maps themselves have reflected colonial and patriarchal power, erasing indigenous knowledge systems and women's spatial practice.
Inclusive Usage
Acknowledge cartography as a knowledge system with politics. When crediting mapmaking, include women and indigenous contributions.
Empowerment Note
Mary Somerville (1780–1872) was the first woman elected to the Royal Astronomical Society and created foundational maps; indigenous women held sophisticated geographic knowledge systems that colonial cartography erased.