How We Drew the World

What we choose to put on a map reveals how we see the world.

By Sieun Bok

3 minutes

Why is north always “up”? It’s a question that sounds almost silly at first. Of course maps are drawn that way. Open Google Maps or glance at a classroom globe, and north is firmly on top. But this arrangement is not a law of nature, it’s a choice.

But when you pause, it becomes clear that there’s nothing “natural” about this choice. The Earth itself doesn’t have an up or down, no more than the universe has a center or the world a favored pole. Yet humans have imposed their own orientations, setting one perspective to the default, shaping how generations have pictured the world.

This simple decision to place north at the top of every map quietly hints at a bigger truth: maps are not neutral mirrors of reality, but tools that shape imagination, identity, and power. 

Every society has drawn the world differently. Ancient Chinese maps often placed their own capital at the center. Medieval European maps sometimes placed Jerusalem in the middle to reflect religious beliefs. Indigenous communities have created maps that emphasize rivers, trade routes, and sacred natural spaces rather than dividing borders and continents. 

These differences remind us that maps reflect cultures. Maps reflect what each society values and the way people imagine their place in the world. By studying maps from different traditions, we not only learn geography, but we also discover how people perceive themselves and others.

But maps also act as tools of power. During the age of colonialism and imperialism, Europeans powers used maps to reinforce their dominance. The Mercator projection, for instance, became widely used for navigation. While practical for sailors, it also distorted the world, making Europe and North America appear much larger, while shrinking Africa and South America. This subtly suggested that some countries were more important than others. 

Thus, maps shaped who was seen as central and who was pushed to the margins. Recognizing this history can help us practice empathy, reminding us that many perspectives were excluded and that what we see as “normal” often reflects one point of view rather than a universal truth.

Maps also shape how we imagine ourselves. The borders on a map tell us which country we belong to, while city maps tell us where the “center” of activity is. Even classroom globes reinforce a way of looking at the world. For example, when students grow up seeing the United States or Europe placed prominently at the top and center of maps, they may unconsciously internalize the idea that these regions are more important or advanced than others. These images become part of our identity and worldview, whether we realize it or not. 

Maps may look like simple diagrams, but they are really stories, stories told by people who make choices about what to highlight and what to leave out. By questioning those choices, we can better understand how perspective shapes the way we see the world. This is not just about geography. It’s about empathy. When we look at maps from different cultures or notice how power and history influence cartography, we learn to see the world through other perspectives. That act of shifting our viewpoint can help us imagine more inclusively and connect with others more deeply. 

So the next time you glance at a map, pause to wonder: why is north up? What’s missing? And whose story is this map trying to tell?