Final answer:
Maps and globes provide a visual representation of geographical information, reflect the historical and cultural narratives of regions, and exhibit spatial relationships, which are all crucial for understanding the Earth's surface through cartography.
Step-by-step explanation:
Maps and globes tell a multifaceted story about our world. They are visual representations of geographical information, showcasing landforms, political boundaries, and natural features. As tools of cartography, maps express spatial data and facilitate our understanding of the Earth's surface. Geographers utilize maps to communicate spatial information, demonstrating how cartography has become a crucial aspect of modern science.
Historically, maps offer insights into cultural aspects and have played roles in defining territorial boundaries and aiding in colonization. Historical evidence from maps is often contested since they were frequently constructed with a bias toward the mapmaker's perspective. For example, most civilizations placed themselves at the center of their maps, and during the Age of Exploration, European powers used maps to divide non-European territories among themselves, which has lasting implications.
Geospatial techniques and tools like GPS, GIS, and remote sensing have advanced cartography significantly. Nowadays, cartographicacy is highly valued in various sectors, including government, military, and private enterprises. Understanding topographic maps, which add elevation details to a two-dimensional map using contour lines, has also become essential in studying the Earth's physical features.