These Maps Used In Nearly Every Classroom Are Drawing Backlash

Even in the digital age, maps remain an essential part of our everyday life. Everything from our cellphones to our WiFi to our televisions rely on the complex way in which we've mapped out our world. And yet, teachers from all over are stirring up controversy by removing the current world maps in their classrooms and replacing them with an almost unrecognizable alternative. The reason why is a lot darker than anyone could've imagined...

Misinformation everywhere

For decades, teachers have pointed at globes and roll-up world maps to give us a taste of Earth's layout — where the continents lie and how they compare size-wise. Recently, however, they've reconsidered these teaching tools.

The first maps

This, of course, has received criticism. For centuries, maps have served as our guide to understanding the world around us. Our first maps were of the stars, diagrams of constellations that helped us track the passage of the seasons.

Ancient guides

Ancient civilizations eventually began applying mapping techniques to cities, outlining plots of land to prevent ownership disputes. One of the the oldest known maps is a stone tablet that depicts a plot of land in the Babylonian city of Nippur.

Key to navigation

Over time, maps evolved into navigation tools. The Age of Exploration relied heavily on paper maps to navigate oceans and traverse continents, and the discoveries they made along the way only served to further influence the development of cartography as a science.