Map A  |
Map C  |
The National Geography Standards
|
|
Mental maps, or cognitive maps, are among our most important geographic tools. Because they exist in our minds, they are the maps we use for thinking and decision-making. Hard copy maps are often designed to develop, and sometimes distort, our mental maps. | ||
|
|
Rabat, Morocco - The mental map that King Hassan II wanted people to have of Morocco included the Western Sahara (in the south), which was occupied by Moroccan troops in the 1970s. Notice also how the king's image masks the disputed international boundary with Algeria. | ||
|
|
Damascus, Syria - A map of the "the Arab World" shows the member states of the Arab League (and ignores the existence of Israel). This is a cartographic image, a world view, that Syrians want to cement in peoples' minds, along with the notion that Syria is the champion of pan-Arabism. | ||
|
Eighth Grade Student's Sketch Maps of the World - Sketch maps have become a popular way of testing the quality and quantity of world place-name geography. This eighth grade student reveals how her mental map of the world changed between August (A) and May (C). Source: "Sketch Maps" by Howard M. Metz, Journal of Geography, 89(3), 1990, p.115. |
A Sample Question from the National Geography Challenge 1996 (Grades 10-12) which illustrates...
STANDARD 2 -- MENTAL MAPS
Use your mental map to figure through which state a freight train will have to pass on its way from Boise, Idaho, to Calgary, Alberta.