Which statement best describes the relative accuracy of maps from Columbus's time compared to today?

Which statement best describes the relative accuracy of maps from Columbus's time compared to today?

• A. Maps today are less detailed because of satellite data.
• B. Maps in Columbus's time were less accurate due to limited exploration.
• C. Maps from Columbus's era were more accurate than modern maps.
• D. Maps have not changed in accuracy since the 15th century.

Answer: (B)

Maps reflect the information and tools available when they’re made. In Columbus’s time, explorers hadn’t charted most of the world, and methods for measuring distance and position were imprecise. Coastlines could be guessed or copied from travelers’ reports, inland areas were largely unknown, and determining exact east-west position (longitude) was extremely difficult. The result is that maps from that era show many distortions and gaps compared with what we know today. Today’s maps are far more accurate because of satellite imagery, precise GPS measurements, and systematic surveying. These technologies let cartographers lock in correct coastlines, distances, elevations, and place names across the globe, with far less guesswork. So the statement that Columbus’s maps were less accurate due to limited exploration is the best description of the relative accuracy. The idea that modern maps are less detailed, or that Columbus’s era produced more accurate maps, or that accuracy hasn’t changed since the 15th century, doesn’t fit how cartography has evolved with new data and better measurement tools.

Maps reflect the information and tools available when they’re made. In Columbus’s time, explorers hadn’t charted most of the world, and methods for measuring distance and position were imprecise. Coastlines could be guessed or copied from travelers’ reports, inland areas were largely unknown, and determining exact east-west position (longitude) was extremely difficult. The result is that maps from that era show many distortions and gaps compared with what we know today.

Today’s maps are far more accurate because of satellite imagery, precise GPS measurements, and systematic surveying. These technologies let cartographers lock in correct coastlines, distances, elevations, and place names across the globe, with far less guesswork. So the statement that Columbus’s maps were less accurate due to limited exploration is the best description of the relative accuracy.

The idea that modern maps are less detailed, or that Columbus’s era produced more accurate maps, or that accuracy hasn’t changed since the 15th century, doesn’t fit how cartography has evolved with new data and better measurement tools.