Final answer:
Imperial and colonial mapping practices were subjective tools of power, used by imperial powers for territorial division and conquest, often misrepresenting the true size and importance of regions in the Global South.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Jeffrey Stone, imperial mapping and colonial mapping were practices steeped in power dynamics and subjective interpretation. Imperial mapping often involved the arbitrary division and ownership of territory, while colonial mapping was used to aid conquest and suppression.
For instance, during the Age of Exploration, the Pope divided new territories between Spain and Portugal without considering the indigenous populations. Similarly, at the Berlin Conference, European powers drew borders in Africa to divide territory amongst themselves, often disregarding the natural and ethnic boundaries present.
This practice led to enduring issues, as maps frequently exaggerated the size of Europe and diminished the regions of the Global South, skewing the perceptions of their actual size and importance. Such cartographic representation was not an objective practice but rather an extension of imperial power, manipulating geography to benefit colonial dominions.