6 October 2011 - 0:00Collecting, Loving And Appreciating Reversed Maps

North is up and east to the right. That is correct. Or is it? The famous “Blue Marble” photo taken from Apollo 17 was originally oriented with the North Pole at the bottom, Madagascar left of center and Africa to right. It was re-oriented to fit the conventional Northern Hemisphere views.

The original “Blue Marble” photo is a reversed map or a map that is oriented with the south at the top. Roman astronomer Ptolemy established the convention of north is up when he used it in his main work, “Geographia,” which contained all known world geography of the time. It was reinforced when European sailors began using the North Star and the magnetic compass in navigation. The orientation of maps prior to this was east because the sun rises in the east. The word orientation comes from the word east.

Reversed maps appeal to any one with a unique worldview because they literally turn your world upside down. It’s a different world when Indonesia is at the center.

More rare than north-up maps, reversed maps have always been sought by map collectors. They can be found in each time period and in a variety or orientations. Some modern creations are beautiful works of art and some humorously turn Northern bias upside down.

As the planet moves toward a global economy, reverse maps remind us we are not all the same. Many people have a completely different worldview. Hanging one on the wall is a great symbol for cultural understanding.