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Representing an area, a geographic space, on paper is what map-making is all about. A map reduces the features of mountains, the coast, roads and cities to a tiny scale, serving as an orientation tool. Cartography would appear to be an exact science which simply involves reproducing the features of what we see. But it's not that simple. There are all kinds of determining factors (politics, for example) which prevent agreement on what should be represented and how.

However, what's more, the technique used to produce the map very clearly changes what we see. As the Earth is round and maps are flat, a way needs to be found of representing in two dimensions what is, in reality, in three dimensions. This representation (known as 'projection') usually involves differing interpretations depending on which technique has been applied and what calculations have been made.

The recent appearance of satellites has taken geography and maps to a new level. These days, there's nothing uncommon about having a GPS in the car or, when we go on a trip, to see where were are on a map or what route we need to use to get to our destination. In the same way, newspapers and television stations increasingly use maps to explain situations. One of the most popular Internet programs, Google Earth, is, in reality, a great big map. We are living in a 'map renaissance age', going back to one of Man's oldest tools.