Editor’s Notebook

Abstract

I love maps!" This is not a universal sentiment, but perhaps because we are geographers, we strive to engage people through maps and visualization. We want people to think about their space and the world beyond, and maps are a way to engage in this discussion. Maps may be useful, explanatory, provocative, deceptive, or decorative. If you are going to a new place, they provide a guide to how long it might take you to arrive at your destination. Maps often show our place in the world; maps from China-中 国 (zhong guo), the middle country-position China in the center of world maps. In countless online meetings and webinars, I have noticed that many geographers arrange themselves in front of a map. In response to an online question from Benno Schmidt, "Why do people like maps and geovisualizations?", Alexander James Kent of Canterbury Christ Church University replied, "I believe it is because they summarize the complexity of the world in a way that is both easier to comprehend and aesthetically pleasing.