Question

Who made a significant, early contribution to cartography by adding a grid and orienting the map with north at the top? He also divided the circumference of Earth into 360°, with each degree comprising 60 minutes, and each minute comprising 60 seconds.

A) Ptolemy
B) Mercator
C) Eratosthenes
D) Hipparchus

Answer 1

Claudius Ptolemy is the cartographer who added a grid system on maps, oriented them with north at the top, and divided the Earth's circumference into degrees, minutes, and seconds.

Step-by-step explanation:

The individual who made a significant early contribution to cartography by adding a grid system to maps and orienting them with north at the top, as well as dividing the Earth's circumference into 360° with degrees, minutes, and seconds, was Claudius Ptolemy (Answer A).

Ptolemy, living in the 2nd century AD, also created one of the first maps of the world based on the available knowledge at the time. He supplemented observational material on hand from earlier scholars like Hipparchus with his own observations to create a cosmological model that was highly influential for over a millennium.