Political Maps

Maps are incredibly useful tools for conveying information about a particular place or region. Complicated ideas can be reduced to generalized imagery, making difficult ideas easier for the average person to grasp. This, of course, is not without disadvantage. Maps are often employed for political ends, which in and of itself is not a bad thing. The problem is that politically charged maps are created with a clear purpose and intended message. Political maps can be used to define a particular issue or persuade the public towards a certain position. Maps are ideal for political use, because they are credible and easy to understand. By this, I mean maps are considered a legitimate source of information. Below is an example of a map with a political purpose.

This map was created by an individual interested in tracking terrorist activity. The subject matter of this map is political by itself, but clearly, the mapmaker has a political message in mind. Note the symbolization. The author is tracking Al-Qaeda and the “Axis of Evil.” This is significant, because the author singles out a terrorist organization that has history with the United States and uses George W. Bush’s threat-constructing nickname for a host of countries he considers enemies of the United States. Clearly, this map is ethnocentric in content and made in support of the “War on Terror.”

Political maps can be useful and legitimate sources of information, but it is important to be wary of politically motivated maps.