Word: cartography (noun)

Associations

Cartography means the science or art of making maps.

• When you study cartography, you learn how to draw maps that show places, roads, and landscapes.
• Cartography is used in geography classes to help students understand the world.
• It is important for creating maps for travelers, explorers, and even for GPS devices. A related word is "mapping," but cartography is more formal and includes the skills and techniques behind making maps, not just the act of creating one.

Substitution

Instead of "cartography," you can say:

• map-making — more informal and simple.
• map design — focuses on how the map looks.
• geographic mapping — emphasizes the location and geography. Each word changes the focus a little: cartography is the full study, map-making is the process, and map design is about appearance.

Deconstruction

The word "cartography" comes from two parts:

• "carto-" from the Greek word "karta," meaning map.
• "-graphy" from Greek "graphia," meaning writing or drawing. So, cartography literally means "map writing" or "map drawing."

Inquiry

• Have you ever used a map? What kind of map was it?
• How do you think maps have changed with technology like GPS?
• Can you imagine what skills a cartographer needs to make a good map?