The authors present a concise chronological survey of the development of geographical knowledge, beginning with prehistoric navigational instincts and ancient map-making, moving through Greek and Roman conceptions, the medieval and Renaissance transformations, and the age of overseas expansion that reshaped global maps. Chapters examine the discovery of new lands, exploration of polar regions, advances in surveying instruments and cartographic theory, and nineteenth-century research in Africa, Asia, Australia, and the poles. Concluding sections consider the professionalization and scientific methods that transformed geography into a modern discipline, and include a short bibliography and illustrative maps.