How did these maps look?

These maps were like coloring books that showed people where to go, but not all the colors were there yet.

Imagine you have a crayon box with only red and blue crayons. That’s what it was like for these old maps: they had some colors (or details), but not all of them. You could see big things, like mountains or rivers, but the little streets or houses might be missing, kind of like if your drawing only showed the sky and clouds, but not the trees or people.

• The maps had bold lines for main roads and big cities.
• They used simple shapes to show land and water, like using a blue square for the sea.
• Some parts might be shaded, making them look like they were covered in clouds or fog, but not very detailed.

It was like looking at a puzzle with only a few pieces, you could guess what it looked like overall, but not all the little details. As time went on, more colors and pieces got added, making maps clearer and easier to use! These maps were like coloring books that showed people where to go, but not all the colors were there yet.

Imagine you have a crayon box with only red and blue crayons. That’s what it was like for these old maps: they had some colors (or details), but not all of them. You could see big things, like mountains or rivers, but the little streets or houses might be missing, kind of like if your drawing only showed the sky and clouds, but not the trees or people.