Posted By www.amherst-maps.com on November 14, 2010
With the earliest known cave paintings dating back over 100,000 years in Africa that depicted terrain and surroundings, the first maps were also born since the cave art often included references to landscape features such as hills, dwellings, and rivers all considered critical to maps as we know them today.And so it was in America where native artists of the Chumash tribes created paintings that are located in what is today known as Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo in Southern California. It’s interesting to think that these thriving metropolitan areas very near Los Angeles were once home to a Native American people that documented their lives via (more…)
Category: United States |
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Posted By www.amherst-maps.com on November 13, 2010
If you’re planning a trip to Europe and are starting to feel a little concerned (or maybe even overwhelmed) at the thought of the language barrier when it comes to asking for instructions or directions on the map that you may have in your hands, rest assured there’s an alternative to see “all things European” without having to consult a map or try to perfect your French to ask a question about the nearest rest room or street caf. That’s right; Garmin has come to the rescue. If you have one of these handy GPS navigation systems that you’ve been using to navigate the US roadways, you can buy maps for virtually any destination in Europe ranging from Amsterdam and Madrid to Istanbul and Bratislava. Bratislava, you ask? Yes, Bratislava, the largest city in Slovakia (for you geography buffs). But, let’s get back to the point. Garmin’s European city maps makes it super easy to get around town with their enhanced pedestrian navigation which allows users to choose which forms of transportation they will be using: walking, train, tram, bus, subway, taxi or a combination of options. The device will tell the user where to walk, where to catch a bus or other transportation and how long it will take them to get there. Now that’s pretty nifty since a lot of strangers you might have asked on the street might not have even known that! Users of the Garmin navigation system have commented that it knows even the smallest, narrowest streets and the handy list of local attractions, historical points of interest, and hotels have proven to be “lifesavers” when traveling outside of their own home turf. So if you have that long-awaited European trip looming on the not-too-distant horizon it might be a good idea to tuck your own personal tour guide in your pocket or purse and not have to rely on printed maps that mean little to you since you have no point of reference, or worse, a stranger who may not be as forthcoming with answers to the questions you have asked.
Category: Europe |
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Posted By www.amherst-maps.com on November 10, 2010
If you’re like a lot of travelers or geography buffs, it’s nice to get your hands on some maps of an area that you either plan to visit or just have a general interest in learning more about. And so it is with maps pertaining to Asia. Even if you plan to visit and have your Garmin GPS already loaded with the maps of the countries on your itinerary, it’s still great to get paper references so you can mark your trek or learn more about routes before you even get to starting point.Following are some handy maps that you may want to consider taking a look at before you (more…)
Category: Asia |
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Posted By www.amherst-maps.com on November 9, 2010
With Africa being the world’s second largest and second most populous continent (following Asia) you can bet there’s a lot to learn when it comes to understanding not only its history, slave trade, and colonization, but to how the continent’s 47 countries evolved to where they are today. But before any appreciation for the evolution of the continent can be truly appreciated, one must first be able to identify the countries that are being referred to. This is where maps are invaluable. Fortunately, there are an endless supply of maps covering early African cartography that are sure to delight any geography, history, or anthropology buff; but they’re all for naught if that geography, history, or anthropology buff doesn’t fully understand how the 47 countries fall on the continent. That’s where some online tools come in not only useful, but can be fun at the same time. If you think you already know all you need to know about the countries of Africa and how they fall on a map, why not take the map quiz to see how you rank? Did you rate pretty high? Well then next try the online quiz covering not only the countries, but the capitals and landscape (terrain) as well. The point here is that while it is always fun to pullout a paper map to learn about a region, it can (more…)
Category: Africa |
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