Maps: Would their orientation change history?

Dieu Le Roi

History would be different because of why maps would be drawn upside down, not because they would be upside down. I think you would need to reduce Europe's grip on power.
 

Dieu Le Roi

OnlyThePie said:
Why would the need for upsidown maps reduce Europe's grip?
Click to expand...

What I mean is that having maps the way we have them in OTL is due to the fact that power has in many ways been concentrated in European hands and the current global culture has been very influenced by European culture, more so than any other 'single' culture (or cultural group rather) IMHO. Maps are going to end up the way they are if Europe remains powerful, along with the rest of the Northern hemisphere in general. To change the way maps are you are going to need Europe's importance to be changed. I think some kind of powerful entity or region or whatever in the southern hemisphere would be your best bet, but I don't have too much of an idea about how you would go about it. Also, you should remember that maps are drawn differently in different parts of the world even in OTL, I know the Aussies often have Pacific rather than European centred ones and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they even have upside down ones.
 

Blurgle

But maps in early Modern Europe were often orientated with East at the top. They changed when the Southern Hemisphere was discovered, but most of that hemisphere was blank. Why would they change to a system where most of the top of the map was blank?
 

GodEmperorG

Maps were upside down for a long time, most medieval maps usually have north at the bottom and south at top IIRC. So it's not like it hasn't happened before.
 
Ricard (i.e. Rdffigueira)

Ricard (i.e. Rdffigueira)

OnlyThePie said:
Why would the need for upsidown maps reduce Europe's grip?
Click to expand...

Modern maps were diffused through an Eurocentric view popularized after the Great Discoveries. In fact, the most popular projection of the world globe is the Mercator Projection, which is notorious for distorting the northern hemisphere, which seems much larger than the southern. That isn't on purpose (because the Earth is a sphere/geodesic, it can't be perfectly projected on a plane), but it helped to create the conception that maps can only be exhibited with Europe in the center.

Early maps, for example, were turned to the East (thus the word "orientation" comes from "Orient"), either because of vague location of the Holy Land or because of the association with the sunrise.

Two of the most remarkable examples of early cartography are the "tabula rogeriana", drawn by a Muslim cartographer in the 12th century, and the Fra Mauro map (from the 15 century) which were both oriented to the south :eek:

Anyways, putting the "north" on the "east" might be plausible if the association with the Holy Land some unexplained circumstance that puts global development focus on Asia.

EDIT: I was editing the post, and finished it after Blurgle and GodEmperorG posted on the thread. I think I managed to corroborate their points.
 

vuun

In the Middle Ages, the Arabs and Chinese both drew maps with south on top, and both were located in the Northern Hemisphere, though not as far north as Europe. In principle, there's no reason why Europeans couldn't borrow the practice of south on top from the Arabs at some point and stick with that, though it's understandable that Europeans preferred putting Europe toward the top of the map rather than the bottom.

I don't think drawing maps with south on top instead would hugely impact the general course of history, though there would be minor linguistic effects--people wouldn't speak of "down south," call Australia "down under", or refer to the Arctic as the "top of the world."

BTW, does anyone know how ancient Greeks and Romans oriented their maps, since that may influence this?
 

Armot

Having South Africa in the center (horizontally) and at the top (vertically) may influence in some people noticing South Africa, and therefore, South Africa may grow more than in OTL.
 

galanx

Here in Taiwan, national maps always have North at the top, but local ones are still often printed vice-versa- can be confusing if you fail to check, especially as not all places follow the same convention.
 
Yuelang

Yuelang

Banned
its actually unlikely to be reversed, once the World knew that southren Landmass is fewer than the North, they will readjust their map with landmass heavy North on top.


Its kinda reflex if you draw something, and you're more inclined to fill more on the top part compared to the bottom... (and left part if you're right handed, reverse for left handed person)
 

Natte

Yuelang said:
its actually unlikely to be reversed, once the World knew that southren Landmass is fewer than the North, they will readjust their map with landmass heavy North on top.


Its kinda reflex if you draw something, and you're more inclined to fill more on the top part compared to the bottom... (and left part if you're right handed, reverse for left handed person)
Click to expand...
This is my view as well, most of the worlds landmass and indeed population is in the Northern and Eastern Hemisphere. I just see it as very likely that most world maps will be centered on Eurasia, east or west simply being a matter of preference.
 
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