Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Europeans took to the new colonies notions of statehood which entailed formally defining
boundaries, especially where territories of different powers adjoined. Opposite are examples
of maps showing borders between states in New England, and between provinces in South
Africa. Maps offered a means of defining frontiers that could be combined with written docu-
ments to locate the border lines precisely. Once state boundaries were in place, it was a ques-
tion of dividing the area according to European notions of landholding. Many maps record
lands granted; an example
Wildlife on the border
shows the problems caused where more
than one power issued grants in the same area.
Some maps were strictly practical - for instance, those that recorded details of navigability
of rivers or soil fertility, to facilitate further exploration or settlement. Others are designed
to convey a marketing message. The decoration on an early map of Virginia (see the detail
Land of great red grapes
)
was designed to promote the colony and encourage settlement, with
a royal coat of arms connoting power and prestige. Once established, colonies needed to be
supported, and a poster from the heyday of the British Empire was intended to encourage the
British to buy goods from her colonies and dominions (
Journeys to the centre of the earth
)
.
From the 1930s onwards, and especially after the Second World War, there was movement
towards decolonisation. A map
East of Aden
indicates the potential complexity of this phase,
especially where Britain had ruled an area for a long time. Thus the map of empire was gradu-
ally rolled up. Yet maps of the colonial era remain in the archives, continuing to inform about
major matters such as international boundaries, and to fascinate with vistas of worlds that
may be long gone but appear fresh with interest to us today.
