Map Making:

Unlock the seas with Cartography in Civilization VII! Learn how this tech lets your units explore oceans, unlocks the Wharf, and boosts your Food production for growing settlements.

Alright, let's talk about Cartography in Civilization VII. This is a super important tech, especially when you're hitting the Exploration Age "Exploration Age (Civ7)"). Think of it as your ticket to the wider world! Here's what Cartography does for you: * Unlocks: The Wharf "Wharf (Civ7)") building. This is great for producing Food "Food (Civ7)") and storing more [Resources](https://civilization.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_resources_in_Civ7 "List of resources in Civ7"). * Ocean Travel: This is the big one! All your Civilian#Civilian "Civillian") and Support Units#Support "Support Units") can now enter Ocean "Ocean (Civ7)") tiles. This means you can finally send those Scouts "Scout (Civ7)") to discover new continents and your Settlers "Settler (Civ7)") to found new Settlements "Settlement (Civ7)") across the seas. * Mastery Bonus: Once you've mastered Cartography, your Food Buildings#Food "Food Buildings") get an extra +1 Food "Food (Civ7)"), and Fishing Boats "Fishing Boat (Civ7)") also get +1 Food "Food (Civ7)"). This is super helpful for growing your Settlements "Settlement (Civ7)"), especially the new ones you'll be founding! Why it's so important: Cartography is key to progressing through your Legacy Paths "Legacy Path (Civ7)"). Without it, you're basically stuck on your starting continent. Getting this tech early can give you a huge advantage in exploring and claiming new lands before your rivals do. A Little History: Interestingly, the Civilopedia entry mentions that early maps weren't always accurate representations of geography. Sometimes they were more like guides or even religious symbols! But as civilizations advanced, like with Arab cartographers who gave us the term 'mile,' maps became crucial tools for travel and conquest. So, when you're charting your course in Civ VII, remember you're part of a long history of exploration! Trivia Tidbit: That quote about maps being a 'model for, rather than a model of,' comes from Thongchai Winichakul, a [Thai](https://civilization.fandom.com/wiki/Thai