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The biggest mistakes in mapmaking history - Kayla Wolf

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TEDEd Animation

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For thousands of years, people made both functional maps and what are known as cosmographies, illustrating the earth and its position in the cosmos, often including constellations, gods, and mythic locations. These maps were meant to depict the world's geography, but weren't necessarily useful for navigation and contained some glaring mistakes. Kayla Wolf shares mapmaking’s biggest blunders.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Kayla Wolf
  • Director Serin İnan, Kozmonot Animation Studio
  • Narrator Alexandra Panzer
  • Storyboard Artist Gürkan Gürler
  • Animator İrem Usta, Gürkan Gürler
Avatar for Sazia Afrin
Lesson in progress

If you were to draw a map of a place you’ve never been before, what tools would you use to do it? Think of a country you have never travelled to and (without cheating and looking at a map) try to draw a map of it based on what you already know about it.


Comments are closed on this discussion.

Avatar for Devland Guillory
Lesson in progress

pencils erasers extra paper and color pencils



Avatar for Linh Le
Lesson completed

A piece of paper, pencils, and color pencils.


Avatar for Bryan Hernandez-Perez
Lesson completed

I would use paper, a pencil, and an eraser. I would fail miserably but at least I tried.


Avatar for Joshua Rosales Alfaro
Lesson in progress

After successfully learning how to make an official map, I would still have the years-long journey of traveling around asking people who have been there, for a mental image of the geographical features of the land that they have visited.


Avatar for Shianne Matlock
Lesson completed

A pencil, pen, paper, and colors.


Avatar for Luka Vilchis
Lesson in progress

I would bring a pencil and a big sheet of paper to draw the map. Once I have my stuff I'll go around the border of the country and draw it as I past by.


Avatar for Ethan Sanchez
Lesson completed

Just a pen, pencil, and some paper to draw it on.



Avatar for Brandon Ingersoll
Lesson completed

I would use a large piece of paper, pen, pencil, and some colors for possible borders for countries. I would try to make it as accurate as I possibly could.

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