Cartography Quote by Terry Pratchett
““It was a shack, somewhere out on the outskirts of the Plains town of Scrote. Scrote had a lot of outskirts, spread so widely-a busted cart here, a dead dog there-that often people went through it without even knowing it was there, and really it only appeared on the maps because cartographers get embarrassed about big empty spaces.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Discworld series, "The Truth", 2000
The map shows a nonexistent settlement because cartographers avoid empty spaces, highlighting human tendency to fill gaps with false details.
In simple terms: Maps sometimes invent places to avoid emptiness.
Key Takeaway
Question the accuracy of presented information.
Themes
cartography
fiction
absurdity
Mood
humorous
critical
Type
satirical
observational
When to use this quote
- travel planning
- urban legends
- data visualization
Key Concepts
human bias
information gaps
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do we create details where none exist?
- What are the consequences of fabricated data?
A Different Perspective
Maps can be deliberately misleading.
![“Folk like to pretend they know everything about the world. Rich folk especially. Maps are great for that. [...] You don't have blanks on your map, so the folks who draw them shade in a piece and write, 'The Eld.' You might as well burn a hole right through the map for what good that does.” quote by Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/267/patrick-rothfuss-145_cartography_folk-like-to-pretend-they-know-everythin_2205937.jpg)
