THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF CARTOGRAPHY (Based on the article “LA CARTOGRAFÍA: ENTRE CIENCIA, ARTE Y MANIPULACIÓN” by Philippe Rekacewicz, 2006)

Maps are representations of the perception of the territory. Although they are often interpreted as a reflection of reality, maps show only what the cartographer wants to show. The cartographer might fall into two common mistakes of cartography: delete or highlight specific details of the territory. These errors occur frequently in cartography and sometimes they have caused a series of misunderstandings at a diplomatic level, which have sparked controversy among territories and disagreements between their governors.

The neat and artistic presentation of many maps may be the reason why many readers have interpreted as

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an accurate representation of the territory, especially if the map has the guarantee of an organization, institution or the State. Finding an appropriate standard to cartographically represent the territory is a real challenge. There are no rules or experts or authorities on the subject. The cartography production is conceived as a combination of cultural, historical and geographical aspects of a territory, which are reflected in a map. A map is the result of combining, in an appropriate way, the exact sciences (accurate quantitative and qualitative information) and art (colors, textures and shapes) in a representation that is functional, satisfying its primary objective of accurate information transmission.

Undoubtedly, access to information has always been synonymous of power. For this reason, maps over time, have occupied an important place and formerly were treasured as the greatest secrets of State, as a way to protect the resources. The loss or theft mapping was considered as a large-scale disaster. That has not changed significantly. At present, countries still have reservations about the cartographic information of strategic, economic or military interest.

The development of technology has allowed mapping to have the tools for more precise mapping and time optimizing. This aspect may not be comparable to the time it took to the first cartographers to create those pieces of art filled with ornaments, and very carefully prepared, yet not a very close representation of the real territory.