A "crude, flat disc" made by Babylonians is the oldest world map; Greeks speculate on the world and come up with a lot of answers, some accurate; China prints maps and embroiders them on silk; and Christians seek "paradise" as ancient views of the world are examined.

When overseas trade for spices and other precious commodities sparked bitter rivalries, charts became instruments of wealth and power. At various times, the Dutch, Portuguese, Venetians, and the Spanish used their superior knowledge of the oceans to gain the upper hand.

Explorers including Christopher Columbus, Hernando Cortez, and Sir Walter Raleigh stake claims for their countries, Holland's sneaky move gives it control of the spice trade, and John Harrison develops the marine chronometer.

France shrinks, or at least appears to, when accurate maps are surveyed. As the British cement their rule over India with a grand surveying project, George Everest "[lays] the foundation of modern surveying."

The aerial camera helps mapmaking. In the twentieth century, surveying aids the search for oil and gold, radar maps the Brazilian rainforest, Monaco charts the undersea world, satellites map the Earth from space, and three-dimensional computer maps take shape.

The beneficial effect of maps—of ambulance routes, air traffic control, forest fires, natural disaster and disease patterns, global climate change, and the human brain—is charted.