Mexico vs. Great Britain

Sam Hughes likes to write and post Things of Interest. Of interest to me today is The Great British Venn Diagram. This handy diagram helps to clarify (for those who seem to have trouble keeping it straight) the difference between England, Great Britain, the British Isles and the United Kingdom.

Via Catholicgauze, who has created his own diagram to explain Mexico versus Mexico versus Mexico

#510

Visualizing Empires' Decline

As an experiment in information art, Pedro M. Cruz has created video representation of the evolution of the top four empires in decline during the 19th and 20th centuries; the British, French, Spanish and Portuguese:

Visualizing empires decline from Pedro M Cruz on Vimeo.

More info on how he did it.

Via Coming Anarchy

Cracking Cheese, Gromit!

It's British Food Fortnight! And when it comes to British food, who doesn't love a good cheese? Cheddar, Cheshire, Cotswold, Stilton, and of course, Wensleydale.

Mark Easton, at the BBC, offers his Map of the Week: Cheese



This map was taken from the World Cheese Book, by Juliet Harbutt.

Cheese is good!

HT to Gail Townsley

Empire: Striding Across Africa

I've been reading Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power by Niall Ferguson wherein he explains how "an archipelago of rainy islands... came to rule the world." Richly illustrated with maps charts and drawings, this book relates the events that led to British domination in India and Africa, and a presence on every continent. It was not hyperbole to say that the sun never set on the British Empire. Some critics have called Ferguson's work "revisionist", as he often defends the actions of the Empire as an overall good thing for its subjects (contrary to other recent scholarship). His final chapter is directed at the United States. What lessons can be learned from British successes and errors by the inheritors of the new "world empire" as that power is challenged?

Several chapters are devoted to the British advances across Africa; to the South from Egypt and to the North from The Cape. Cecil Rhodes, the diamond magnate and founder of the state of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe and Zambia), had a vision of the Empire in Africa connected, north and south. In the illustration below, Rhodes can be seen sneering at his critics.



Lord Salisbury, the Foreign Secretary and later Prime Minister, was opposed to this vision: "I can imagine no more uncomfortable position than the possession of a narrow strip of territory in the very heart of Africa, three month's distance from the coast, which should be separating the forces of a powerful empire like Germany and... another European Power." He did not believe that territory should be acquired, simply because it looks good on a map. Speaking of Rhodes, he said, "I think that the constant study of maps is apt to disturb men’s reasoning powers"

This quote has of course become the motto for Cartophilia.

Rhodes' vision of connecting African holdings, North and South, came to fruition after the First World War and the acquisition (by League of Nations "mandate") of Tanganyika (later Tanzania).



Thanks to Pascal for tipping me off to this one.

Britain's Secret Weapon Against Invasion

BibliOdyssey, the home of delightful illustrations from vintage books, is featuring An Incomplete Evolution of the Cartoon Political Map.

The earliest illustration is from 1791 and the latest from 1900. Here we see "The French Invasion, or John Bull, bombarding the Bum-boats" (1793). As the French Revolution threatened to spill across the channel, satirical illustrator James Gillray offered his own explosive solution to a French invasion. These fears of invasion were not unfounded. The last attempted invasion of Britain did, in fact, take place in 1797.

HT to Eric

Maps on Stamps

When I started this blog, nearly two years ago, my intention was to highlight my own scattered collections of map memorabilia. In fact, I have scanned many map postcards from my collection, as well as shirts, mugs, Christmas ornaments, advertising, etc. However, the one thing I haven't covered yet, in spite of being the first thing mentioned in my masthead, is stamps. I have a small collection (compared to serious stamp collectors) of stamps featuring maps. Unfortunately, I have not got around to scanning them.

However, this morning, while searching for something else (a simple way to compare the area of states and countries) I came across this image of a Mexican stamp, issued in 1977, to mark the resumption of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Spain:



On his website, Dan of Dan's Topical Stamps, points out that here is a difference in scale between Mexico and Spain. If Mexico were drawn to the same scale as Spain, it would be about four times larger. While it might have been a geographically correct stamp, it might not have been politically correct, nor as aesthetically pleasing.

While browsing through Dan's Topical Stamps, I found several other interesting map stamps.

Here is a drawing of Gandhi caricatured as India:



A Dutch stamp with a Frisian cow whose spots are maps of European countries, including the Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland and Italy:



The first postal map stamp issued by the United States was issued in 1904 to commemorate the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase:



Hopefully in the next few months I'll get around to sharing some of my own map stamps.

UK Map: The Naughty Bits

New York Times: No Snickering: That Road Sign Means Something Else, by Sarah Lyall.

In the scale of embarrassing place names, Crapstone ranks pretty high. But Britain is full of them. Some are mostly amusing, like Ugley, Essex; East Breast, in western Scotland; North Piddle, in Worcestershire; and Spanker Lane, in Derbyshire.

Others evoke images that may conflict with residents’ efforts to appear dignified when, for example, applying for jobs.

These include Crotch Crescent, Oxford; Titty Ho, Northamptonshire; Wetwang, East Yorkshire; Slutshole Lane, Norfolk; and Thong, Kent. And, in a country that delights in lavatory humor, particularly if the word “bottom” is involved, there is Pratts Bottom, in Kent, doubly cursed because “prat” is slang for buffoon.

As for Penistone, a thriving South Yorkshire town, just stop that sophomoric snickering.

Read the rest...



HT to Pascal

Map Plates

Feast on this:



Available from What on Earth: "You might serve pasta on Italy, pierogi on Poland, sauerkraut on Germany, or paella on Spain. Each plate is shaped like the nation it represents, with major cities highlighted. Pieced together, you can create a substantial serving platter."

Via Apartment Therapy The Kitchen and thanks, Hunter!

Forvik Update

Today is the Independence Day holiday in the United States. Last month, we learned of an announcement of the "independence" of the latest "micronation": the island of Forvik. We also see that they now have a flag.

However, not all is peaceful in the North Sea. Cartophilia has learned of a competing claim for sovereignty of the island.

The website, Forvik - Truth & Light, offers evidence of prior ownership, dating back to 1899. Below is a photograph of island and its inhabitants in 1938.


The decendants of that original owner now live on Cape Verde.

The Cape Verde military has mobilized for invasion!

Could be trouble.

Cartophilia and the BBC will keep you informed as the situation develops.


#211

Forvik the Free

It looks like it is time to write a new chapter for the Lonely Planet Micronations (Previously noted here).

The tiny island of Forvik, population one, part of the Shetland Islands, has declared independence



No, this is not one of Michael5000's Forgotten Lands... it is a REAL ISLAND.



The owner of the island, Stuart "Captain Calamity" Hill promises to issue currency, stamps and a new flag.


#201

Elisabeth Lecourt Map-Wear

In one of my very earliest Cartophilia posts, I commented on maps as art, by highlighting the clothing-art work of paper sculpture artist Jennifer Collier. Yet another maps-clothing-artist comes to my attention:



Elizabeth Lecourt uses maps to sculpt clothing. In the October 5, 2005 issue of Step Inside Design Magazine, Mary Fitcher said:

... Technically she's not a fashion designer, however, Elisabeth Lecourt (a French student of art in England) is turning heads with her intriguing line of map-wear. She folds and cuts individual maps by region to produce clothes not to be worn but rather hung. To date she has pressed and ironed 60 pieces of faux garments, mostly pleated parochial dresses and button-down shirts made out of modern maps. Universal by nature, her work is popular wherever shown...

Thanks to Ms. Cartophiliac for pointing me in the direction of this cartographic artist.