International Map of the World
The International Map of the World (IMW; also the Millionth Map of the World, after its
The Central Bureau of the Map of the World was established in London. After the
Beginnings
The International Map of the World was the brainchild of the German geographer Albrecht Penck,[1] who presented his idea in 1891 at the 5th International Geographical Congress in Bern.[2] He argued that the maps of the world lacked a consistent style, and that a uniform world map was feasible, as sufficient information was available.[1] Writing in 1893 in The Geographical Journal, he described the problems associated with maps that then existed, noting “the interests of civilized life make good maps a necessity”. Penck considered it important that the maps that represent an area “…not merely as a piece of land limited by political boundaries, but as a region in the frame of its natural surroundings”.[3]
Penck's proposal was discussed at conferences of the International Geographical Congress in 1895, 1899, 1904, and 1908.[2] His idea was to produce a set of maps that would include both geophysical and human geographical data, obtained by means of the most precise methods then known. He envisioned that 2500 maps would be made using the polyconic projection, which would mean the maps fitted almost seamlessly together.[4] He expressed the hope that governments would fund what was a non-political mapping project, and suggested that geographical societies, academic institutions, and philanthropic organizations might need to be relied upon in the absence of governments’ assistance with the project.[5]
In 1909 the First International Conference in London, which was attended by the representatives of 10 nations, laid down the new project's rules and specifications.
Description
The International Map of the World (IMW), also known as the Millionth Map of the World,
Map indexing system
A
Due to shortening of longitudinal distances with increasing latitude, longitudinal span beyond 60 degrees latitude doubles to twelve degrees. Beyond 76 degrees it doubles again to 24 degrees. Therefore, the complete map would have divided the world into 2,160 slices, each covering about 236,000 square kilometres (91,000 sq mi).
This indexing system outlived the international project and is still used in national and international mapping programs by Australia,[8] Russia and the United States.[9]
Development and decline
The Central Bureau of the Map of the World was established at the
Gallery
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Index map from the International Map of the World 1:1,000,000
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Iceland
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The northern Caspian Sea area
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The Mandalay region of Burma
See also
References
- ^ a b c Brotton 2014, p. 212.
- ^ a b Boggs 1929, p. 112.
- ^ Nekola 2013, pp. 5–6.
- ^ Nekola 2013, p. 5.
- ^ a b Nekola 2013, p. 7.
- ^ Boggs 1929, pp. 112–113.
- ^ a b Merrick 1969, pp. 12–13.
- ^ a b "Topographic Maps". Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM). Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "International Map of the World 1:1,000,000—List of map images in this collection". University of Texas Libraries. University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
- ^ Osmańczyk & Mango 2003, p. 1381.
- ^ Pearson et al. 2006, p. 162.
- ^ a b Pearson et al. 2006, p. 163.
- ^ Robinson 2013, pp. 23–26.
Sources
- Boggs, S. W. (1929). "The International Map of the World". The Military Engineer Society of American Military Engineers, Journal. Washington, D.C. 21 (116). Society of American Military Engineers: 112–114. JSTOR 44567655– via JSTOR.
- ISBN 978-1-4654-2463-1.
- Merrick, Helen Hynson (1969). Lands and Peoples: British Isles and Western Europe. Vol. 1. New York: The Grolier Society. OCLC 489814317.
- Nekola, Peter (2013). "Looking Back at the International Map of the World". Environment, Space, Place. 5 (1): 1–20. ISSN 2066-5377.
- Osmańczyk, Edmund Jan; Mango, Anthony (2003). Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements. Vol. G to M. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-04159-3-922-5.
- Pearson, Alastair; Taylor, D. R. Fraser; Kline, Karen D.; Heffernan, Michael (2006). "Cartographic ideals and geopolitical realities: international maps of the world from the 1890s to the present". ISSN 0008-3658.
- Robinson, A. H. (2013) [1965]. "The Future of the International Map". ISSN 0008-7041.
Further reading
- Pearson, Alastair W.; Heffernan, Michael (2015). "Globalizing Cartography? The International Map of the World, the International Geographical Union, and the United Nations". S2CID 163044661.
- Rankin, William (2018). After the Map: cartography, navigation, and the transformation of territory in the twentieth century. Chicago; London: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-02266-0-053-6.
External links
- International Map of the World 1:1,000,000 index to scans at the Perry–Castañeda Library Map Collection