A map is a drawing or digital image that shows the features of an area, such as roads, rivers, and cities, from above. To map something means to make a map of it or to carefully record or plan its details.
Shortened from 'mapemounde' in Middle English, from Medieval Latin 'mappa mundi' meaning 'cloth of the world' ('mappa' cloth or chart + 'mundus' world). Early maps were often drawn on cloth or large sheets.
The original 'map' was literally a 'world cloth'—a picture of the Earth spread out like a blanket. Today we also 'map' things like the brain or the internet, turning invisible systems into something we can see.
Cartography historically centered the perspectives of male explorers, colonizers, and military leaders, often erasing women’s knowledge and the spatial understandings of Indigenous and local communities. This shaped which places were recorded, how they were named, and whose routes and activities were deemed important.
Use map neutrally, but be aware that maps can reflect power imbalances; when relevant, acknowledge whose perspectives and data are represented or missing. Avoid assuming that canonical maps are neutral or complete.
["chart","plan","diagram","mapping"]
Women have contributed extensively to mapping, including as surveyors, GIS specialists, and community cartographers, yet their work has often been credited to institutions or male supervisors rather than to them personally.
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