Maps

Maps of Canada

From the beginning of history, people have developed instruments to describe geography and to understand the complexities of a territory. Historically, those were tools of navigation and expressions of land ownership, and used for exploration, commerce and war. The technology has changed but the applications remain, and have been dramatically expanded – in addition to offering us direction, they continue to offer a picture of the world.

Canada has a unique relationship with mapping. Canadians all know the story of Samuel de Champlain who travelled thousands of kilometres from Quebec City to the Great Lakes while drawing sketches of the land – after loosing his astrolabe near the Ottawa River. Quite a distance to the GPS-based digital screen we use in our automobile to find the address of our hotel and guide us to it.

Today, Canada is at the forefront of geomatics and satellite imaging. Technology allows us to produce images used to monitor the health of forests, the level of lakes and rivers, changes in weather, and the effects of human activity on the landscape. It provides powerful tools that let perceive relations and interactions among phenomena located in different spheres – such as between the economy and the environment.

Luckily, there are many resources that offer digital maps of Canada whether you are searching for driving directions or want to get a better understanding of Canada’s geography.

Maps of Canada provide much more than a representation of the land. They tell the story of Canadians.