The information for the following story is from Reading in the Content Areas: Social Studies.

A Short History of Maps

There are many different types of maps. A road map shows the roads in a certain area. Fishermen use charts to find their way to the fishing grounds. A globe is a round 3-D map that shows the whole Earth and an atlas is a book of maps.

Maps have been made for more than 16,000 years. Before 1,000 BC, the Babylonians used stone tablets to make maps. These maps were not accurate since people only knew about their local area.

The Greeks' maps were made from information they got from travelers. They used the sun, stars, and moon to gauge directions. Their maps had mistakes.

Present-day map makers have special equipment to help them measure distances. They take aerial photographs, use compasses, and measure hills and mountains. They even get satellite pictures.