Map technology
Atlas printers will be scrambling to change gears as a result of Laurent Kabila’s takeover in Zaire, uh, The People’s Republic of Congo.
Map printing has been a major industry as emerging countries around the world change their names and, sometimes, the names of their major cities.
In colonial days it was customary for European powers to honor their famous by naming for them geographical features in protectorate states. For example, the capital of the Belgian Congo had its name changed from Boma to Leopoldville for former King Leopold. When the Belgians withdrew, the country was renamed Zaire and Leopoldville became Kinshasa.
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After the realignment of the Soviet Union, Bosnia, Serbia and Myanmar, new place names cropped up everywhere. Each time, there was a demand for updated maps. Mr. Rand and Mr. McNally must have chortled and rubbed their hands.
However, they’d better make their money now because technology will soon make them dust. Now that maps are part of computer software it is a relatively simple trick to change names and even borders day by day. If some dinosaurish teacher wants a map to hang on the wall, color printers can quickly oblige.
Computers may sound the death knell of school atlases. They can even make it possible to abandon road maps in favor of a “you are here, follow this route” voice from the dash of your car. But don’t expect the annual National Geographic world map to disappear for some time yet. There are too many of us old throwbacks around who don’t believe anything is official until it appears on paper.
