There
are many aspects to the art and science of cartography which have been
portrayed on postage stamps. Among them the understanding of the world
we live in as it is described by maps, and the development of the
techniques and instruments to translate that understanding into
visible form is well covered by the stamps issued by the nations of
the world. While maps go back into the dim past, the history of
cartography as an attempt to reflect the nature of the world really
begins with Claudius Ptolemy, and continues into the 18th century.
After that it is primarily a matter of detail.
Some of the pages load slowly. That is because the
pictures are large and have a lot of detail. I could have made them
small and fuzzy but that would defeat the purpose of putting them on
the Web at all. So, be patient.
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