Question bank: Cartography: Time and Space

In a mapping exercise for a geographical expedition, a group of 1st-year high school students needs to create an orientation map using the equidistant azimuthal projection to represent the Earth's surface. They have chosen point A at latitude 30°S and longitude 45°W, and point B at latitude 30°N and longitude 45°E. By using the formula for the distance between two points on a sphere, where R is the radius of the Earth (considered 6371 km), and the coordinates (lat1, long1) and (lat2, long2) are the pairs of latitude and longitude in radians for points A and B, respectively: d = R * arccos(sin(lat1) * sin(lat2) + cos(lat1) * cos(lat2) * cos(long2 - long1)), the students must calculate the linear distance between points A and B to correctly plot the distance on the azimuthal map. Additionally, they should explain how the equidistant azimuthal projection distorts the areas and shapes of the continents and how this distortion can affect the perception of distance on the final map.

Parallels are imaginary lines that encircle the Earth, perpendicular to the Equator. These lines play an important role in determining the latitude of a location, as they are numbered from 0° to 90° north and south of the Equator. What is the latitude closest to the Equator?

During the Middle Ages, cartography mapped the Earth based on theological conceptions, which positioned Jerusalem at the center of maps. Later, with the Age of Discovery and the exploration of new continents, cartography underwent a process of renewal, incorporating the perspective of the Western Hemisphere. From this information, write an essay discussing the influence of religious conceptions and geographical discoveries on the evolution of cartography. Your response should consider how the revision of knowledge about the Earth altered spatial and temporal representation, and how this evolution reflects the cultural and scientific advances of the time, including the use of measurement techniques and instruments.

Cartography is an essential tool for understanding the relationships between time and space, allowing the visualization of how different civilizations perceived and represented the world throughout history. Milton Santos, in his work 'Por uma Geografia Nova', states that 'cartographic technique is one of the forms of human expression and, as such, reveals not only the capacity for abstraction and synthesis, but also the intention and need of its author or of its time'. Considering what Milton Santos mentions and the importance of interdisciplinarity, identify and briefly describe another discipline, besides Geography, that benefits from the use of cartography and explain how this relationship manifests.