Text d

Task. Scan the text and get ready to do the exercises after it.

The History of Maps

Men have been using maps for thousands of years. In ancient times little was known about the shape of the Earth. Men did not even know that the Earth is round. They never traveled far, so they did not know how large is the Earth. The earliest maps were not accurate, but still they were useful.

The first known maps were made by the Egyptians as long ago as 1300 B. C., to show the boundary lines of each man’s land. But the first world maps were made by the Greeks. It is supposed that Anaximander had designed the first ones. He was a Greek scientist who lived from 611 to 547 B. C. According to Anaximander’s maps, the Earth was a flat circle surrounded by one large river.

Most European maps in the Middle Ages showed the world as a flat disc. Only three continents were shown – Europe, Asia and Africa, as the existence of the Americas had been unknown. The top of the map was East, and at the exact centre of the world was Jerusalem, the Holy city. Jerusalem was placed at the centre of the Earth because that is where the Bible says it is. Maps such as those were usually published in religious books, and we should really think of them not as maps, but as religious pictures. The Christian Church taught that the Earth is flat. Although the Ancient Greeks knew better, and this knowledge never quite died out, most people believed without question that the earth was flat.

While Christians still believed that the Earth was flat, Muslim scholars knew it is round. The famous Arab geographer Al Idrisi was born in North Africa in about 1100. He traveled through much of Europe and the Near East and worked for many years for Roger II, King of Sicily. He produced a map of the world, a globe of the Earth and a huge guide for travelers. The map even showed a possible source of the Nile, which wasn’t far from the true source.

World maps in the 15^th century were based on the work of Claudius Ptolemaeus, known as Ptolemy, an ancient geographer who had been dead for more than 1200 years! Ptolemy map showed Europe and the Mediterranean region quite accurately, but it showed only the top half of Africa because Ptolemy had no idea how far south the continent stretched, nor if it even ended at all. The Portuguese sailors who first rounded the tip¹ of Africa kept the reports of their voyages secret from other European nations who also wanted to find a sea route to the trade goods of the Far East.

As years passed and men learned more and more about the geography of the world, maps became better and better. During the 18^th and the 19^th centuries, France and England sent many explorers to new parts of the world. French and English settlers went to these new places to live. Then, as information got back to France and England, new maps were made.

During the 19^th century another kind of map was developed. It was called a topographic map. A topographic map is often very detailed. It may cover as little as five square miles, but it shows just about everything there is to show about the geography of that area.

Until the end of the 19^th century there were no international agreements about making world maps. The maps made in one country did not agree with the maps made in another country. But in 1913 a meeting of 34 countries was held in Paris. At the meeting a set of rules for making world maps was agreed upon. And today these rules are even more important than ever. They are important because the boundaries of countries are often changed. And changes make new maps necessary.

Notes:

1. tip – тонкий конец, кончик

Ex. 1. Choose the one best alternative to each question. Answer all the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the text.

1. Which of the following does the text mainly discuss?

1. the story of exploration

2. modern space voyages

3. full details of important discoveries

4. map-making

5. the history of maps

2. When did the first maps appear?

1. in the Middle Ages

2. in the 19^th century

3. as long ago as 1300 B.C.

4. in1745

5. in the 20^th century

3. Who was Anaximander?

1. a Greek scientist

2. a famous explorer

3. an ancient geographer

4. the greatest scientist

5. a famous writer

4. How did the Earth look like according to Anaximander’s maps?

1. round

2. a flat circle surrounded by one large river

3. a flat disc

4. oval

5. square

5. What did the famous Arab geographer Al Idrisi produce?

1. a great atlas of discovery

2. a well-drawn map of the world

3. a religious book

4. a globe of the world

5. a guide for travelers

6. The word “accurate” is closest in meaning to

1. important

2. exact

3. modern

4. detailed

5. right

7. According to the text what is a topographic map?

1. It is very detailed

2. It gives full details of important discoveries

3. It may cover as little as ten square miles

4. It shows about the oceanography of that area

5. It shows endangered animal species

8. Which of the following isn’t true about maps? Maps give information about:

1. vegetation

2. countries and their boundaries

3. economic resources

4. children

5. navigation