Most Lost people trust the maps they encounter In newspapers, on television, and in classrooms, assuming they are simple reflections of "truth." Approached with none of the skepticism people bring to words, maps are rarely recognized as the ideological symbols they are. In fact, although few people realize it, maps can be powerful instruments of propaganda in science and public affairs, and they have had a disturbing effect on our view of the world, our health, and the impact of our votes. Author Mark Monmonier explores our widespread naiveté regarding maps, and in an approach he calls "cartoanthropology," he lays out the historical and contemporary territory of their influence. From a sampling of startlingly familiar controversies, Monmonier shows that we are unconsciously persuaded by maps more often than we realize, and he argues that we deserve to know how this happens. He begins by taking us on a tour of famous historical and international examples of misleading maps @ from images of the world that make the industrialized northern continents appear larger than Africa and South America to maps that have guided foreign policy and changed scientific thought. Turning to our backyards, he examines the role maps have played in siting nuclear waste dumps and in creating legislative districts, which in turn can determine the success of political candidates. As the author looks at the choices that are made in drawing maps, he proves there is more to any story than one map can communicate while demonstrating the remarkable effect these "cartocontroversies" have on the world and our perception of it.