Map Fact, Map Fiction

Map Fact, Map Fiction
There are many different kinds of maps that people use today. One of the most recognized of these maps is your typical road map. This kind of map represents fact. Everything on these kinds of maps represents reality. Basically, every feature on the map represents an actual thing or place in the world. Maps of fact are used everyday by millions of people for a variety of reasons. One could use this kind of map for navigational purposes, or even for educational purposes. Because these kinds of maps represent fact, studying them can help one get a sense of the world around them. Like I stated earlier, one of the most common types of fact maps are road maps. Below is an example of a road map. This map is taken from Mapquest.com and just shows navigational directions from one point to the next. These maps can be very useful if you don’t know the area your driving in that well. While we have a basic understanding of what a fact map is because we use them all the time, there is also another kind of map that is important in society.
Most maps that are used are a representation of reality. That is, they are portraying a real place. Some maps do not have this same purpose. Maps can also represent a fictitious place as well. Many maps are drawn of places that do not exist or only exist in the mind of some. These are maps representing fantasy. Maps have the power to stir up imagination. You can draw maps to help illustrate a place that only you can imagine but a place you want others to see. You can also draw maps of a place you know is there, but a place that no one has seen before.
Maps can have just as much power in a completely fictitious world as they do in reality. Directors of movies often use maps to show the worlds in which their characters live in. Even though these are just worlds of fantasy, maps of these places give a sense of realism to the viewer. Pictured below is a map of “Middle-Earth” taken from the movie Lord Of The Rings. While this movie is based on a fictional story, the map gives this place a sense of realism and almost tricks the viewer into believing that this is an actual place. Using maps of fiction during film also helps a viewer to understand the story better. During the movie Lord Of The Rings, many different places were mentioned. One character was going to this town while another character was going elsewhere. Showing a map during the movie helped one gain a sense of direction and a better understanding of what was going on. So this map of fiction not only helped us get lost in the fantasy of the movie, but it helped us understand it as well.