Map lore

Maps permeate our lives today. Everywhere we go, everywhere we see, we create maps of not only our surroundings, but also of our DNA, our information, and the way that civilization organizes itself. Maps existed long before written language was invented. Here are some fun facts about maps.

The first known map

Maps are known to exist before the invention of written language. The oldest known map of the Earth, dated circa 7000 BC, is a wall painting of the Turkish city of Çatalhöyük. Before this map of the Earth, maps of the stars already existed circa 16,500 BC in France.

The map of Çatalhöyük already has many elements of maps today, such as a bird's eye view and an attention to scale.

Source: Wikipedia.org

The world's smallest map

The world's smallest map is not made with common materials — rather, it is made out of strands of DNA, which together form a map of the Americas. Created by researchers at the California Institute of Technology, it measures just a few hundred nanometers (billionths of a meter) across.

The map requires a powerful atomic microscope to be seen.

Source: BBC News

Notable mention

A company in the Czech Republic also made a notable attempt at creating the world's smallest map. The map is 3 cm long, 1.7 cm wide, and has all the information of a full-sized country map for the Czech Republic.

Source: Radio Prague