Mental maps, also referred to as abstract or cognitive maps, are highly abstracted representations of real world locations, that still convey information or interpretations of earth's surface or features on earth's surface. Mental maps are often subjective in nature, and refer to a person's point-of-view perception of a real-world location. This spatial perception of how we view people/places around us can be a necessary skill when studying geography as humans are instinctual mappers and have learned to read and use map-like models since early childhood in nearly all cultures. This ability is an essential part of our ecological adaption and evolution, as this behavior leads to invention in tool use. The above map is an hand-drawn, abstract mental map of world drawn by a student in Thailand. This mental map greatly exaggerates the size of areas where these students do not live, and conveys their perception/point-of-view that other parts of the world, like Russia for example, are larger than in reality.
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