For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.

Christopher Columbus

Maps tell a visual story of history, how the country was explored, what the political development was, what geographic barriers, conduits or features influenced the growth of regions. This section offers various different ways to look at tall of these features and more.

One of the tools that can be utilized in the telling of the story of Canada is the visual understanding that can be conveyed through maps. They not only show us the geographic lay of the land but they can also convey an almost infinite amount of additional information.  Military maps can explain the actions of armies and military forces which have manoeuvred and battered each other in the process of determining the future of countries.  Political maps can help explain trends and results throughout history and how political parties have become dominant and how others have disappeared. Maps which show the routes of explorers help us understand the hardships and challenges they faced as they opened up the country to a broader spectrum of settlement and development. Other maps tell us about population, business, transportation and overall economic development. The graphical and visual picture they paint can create an instant understanding of an era, an area or a cultural theme.