![]() ![]() ![]() This includes outside forces choosing to map land rights only to Israel, only to Palestine, or territorial claims of both parties. Propaganda maps abound, and other world actors, including other countries, play a deeply intertwined role in legitimizing and delegitimizing the claims of both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine interests. The result is a complicated map of territorial assertions that can change seemingly overnight and has not yet concluded in a definitive political map of the region. ![]() At its core, the dispute is between two groups, both vying for self-determination and laying claim to the same land. One space of deep division and disagreement is the territorial dispute surrounding Israel and Palestine. Mapmaker and writer Denis Wood writes, “It is not that the map is right or wrong (it is not a question of accuracy), but that it makes a stand while pretending to be neutral on an issue over which people are divided.” Here are a few examples of these divisions and maps making a political stance. This is why maps are important and valuable-they make assertions of power and often reflect the interests of those who create them. ![]() Even the United States has contested boundaries, with active disagreements with Canada, the Bahamas, Cuba, and Colombia, among others. And the truth is that there are disputed territorial boundaries among the majority of countries on Earth. It is rare for a map to be able to explain the complication of political boundaries, especially in contested areas. Political borders are one of the most common map controversies. Here we’ll look at two ways maps and globes can be wrong: with political borders and other forms of altered Earth depictions. To say that maps and globes are wrong is not to foster cynicism or distrust, but rather to promote a healthy sense of curiosity and critical thinking about what we are shown on maps. Monmomier continues: “To avoid hiding critical information in a fog of detail, the map must offer a selective, incomplete view of reality.” This is the cartographic paradox: to present a truthful picture, a map must tell lies. These distortions can occur through alterations to scale, symbols, projection, simplification, and choices around the map’s content. Maps and globes, like speeches or paintings, are authored by humans and are subject to distortions. As geographer Mark Monmonier claims, “Not only is it easy to lie with maps, it’s essential. ![]()
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