Osmanlı İmparatorluğunda Coğrafya ve Kartografya
Cartographic History of the Caspian Sea
Gregory C. McintoshWorld maps made before the 18th century generally include a combination of the actual geography of known lands and the theoretical geography of unknown, partially known, or non-existent lands. Many of their geographical depictions, configurations (littoral outlines, continental shapes, etc.), and texts (location names) are simply based on other maps (i.e., they were copied). In the field of the history of cartography, a design type refers to a group of similar geographical depictions, littoral delineations, cartographic symbols, and decorative elements that appear on maps. In this regard, world maps from the Early Modern period tend to include various combinations of these design types. For example, the image/design of the Caspian Sea on Medieval and Renaissance maps is usually shown in one of eight different standardized shapes: Oval (O), Lobed (L), Realistic (R), Teardrop (T), Square (S), Reversed-C (V), Modern (M), and Islamic (I), with Circular (C) and Indented (D) as variants of the Oval design. Based on their awareness of these designs, mapmakers would subjectively select the best one for their depiction of the Caspian Sea. However, after the surveys of the 1720s (initiated by the Russians), the Caspian Sea was increasingly depicted in the Modern design.
