I've always been fascinated by maps. When I was a kid I declared to anyone who would listen that when I grew up I was going to work as a "mapmaker". To train myself I would copy maps out of atlases and try to squeeze as many place names and geographic features as possible. Then I later found out that the correct name for "map making" was "cartography" and that in order to become a cartographer you had to be a whiz in mathematics. Knowing myself to be one of world's worst math students on record I knew my dream of drawings maps for a living would never pan out.

Cartoonists have followed in the steps of previous generations who have found amusement in combining satire with maps. So I can only admire them as an observer. Some examples of maps be found of Great Britain, France, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Spain and Portugal, and Denmark. The latter 6 are the inspiration of William Harvey, an English satirist working in the 1860's. Upon their first publication, the artist described these maps as "humorous outlines of various countries, with an introduction and descriptive lines," intended to make geography enjoyable and accessible to children. By today's standards, some of these pictures might appear stereotypical, and even slightly offensive. However, at the time, they were quite popular, and they reflect the contemporary conceptions (or misconceptions) of these countries. (source). Here are my maps drawn in the past 6 or so years, inspired by the works of artists like William Harvey:

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