A map will tell you about the physical and cultural geography of a place, and geographers are trained to read them. (This was my geography master's examn: here's a topographical map, write about it.)
The first conclusion is that this is a world that was created, not a world that evolved in the way of our planet. You don't get mountain ranges like the ones bordering the main lands by means of plate tectonics, so someone - whether 'the gods' or 'the author' put them there. But the presence of mountain ranges will have a) an influence on the climate (assuming a northern hemisphere, rain in the west - much rain - and dry conditions in the east) which in turn will have an influence on agriculture and settlements.
The other thing I noticed is that political divisions were drawn in straight lines, which means a colonial power with direct access to this map. Normally, I would expect a map to be not entirely accurate, which means that lines get warped; their straightness means they're fresh. And it has to be a colonial power because such boundaries are not enforcible on the ground: you have no idea where they are. Real world borders use rivers and landmarks and are hotly contested and often ignored - so you need the overview and the authority to say 'this is the boundary, don't cross it or else.' And I suppose a god could do that, but wouldn't a god see the world as it really is rather than as a cartographer relying on 17th century technology would?
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yati
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Date: 2012-06-22 08:57 am (UTC)The first conclusion is that this is a world that was created, not a world that evolved in the way of our planet. You don't get mountain ranges like the ones bordering the main lands by means of plate tectonics, so someone - whether 'the gods' or 'the author' put them there. But the presence of mountain ranges will have a) an influence on the climate (assuming a northern hemisphere, rain in the west - much rain - and dry conditions in the east) which in turn will have an influence on agriculture and settlements.
The other thing I noticed is that political divisions were drawn in straight lines, which means a colonial power with direct access to this map. Normally, I would expect a map to be not entirely accurate, which means that lines get warped; their straightness means they're fresh. And it has to be a colonial power because such boundaries are not enforcible on the ground: you have no idea where they are. Real world borders use rivers and landmarks and are hotly contested and often ignored - so you need the overview and the authority to say 'this is the boundary, don't cross it or else.' And I suppose a god could do that, but wouldn't a god see the world as it really is rather than as a cartographer relying on 17th century technology would?
There are many questions to be asked ;-)