Map Names, Map Traps and Map Mischief

Publicity over new names appearing on a recent map of Loch Lomond National Park (see BBC News item) generated much discussion in our office. Here are a couple of similar examples that we talked about:

The story that John George Bartholomew named a couple of islands in Loch Lomond: The book ‘Bartholomew 150 years’ by Leslie Gardner documents this - “Off Rossdhu Point, on Loch Lomond, there are two islets, one called St Winifred’s and one St Rosalind’s. John George Bartholomew gave them those names. While on a boating trip in that part of the loch, on a glorious June day, he came to an understanding with the girl he loved and later married.” These names were commemorated on the next edition of the Half-inch Scotland series (No7, Firth of Clyde).

Claims of an elephant in the contours: Much is written about this one, it even made it onto the BBC QI program (season 5, episode 4) which showed the elephant in the contour lines on a British Army Map of an area of the Gold Coast (Ghana) from the 1920s. Apparently it was created by bored surveyors.

Unsubstantiated accounts of Pu Ding basin somewhere in China, bunnies in the bathymetry (seabed contours) off South America, a backward phrase in some Greek hills and various rude words hidden across the globe.

Is this done for personal recognition, to catch map copying, mischief making or simply boredom?

As mapmakers we are always on the lookout for new places/features to capture to reflect changes around the world. We have just added a name to a previously unnamed gorge on the Isle of Skye on our forthcoming Collins Road Atlas 2012 - see previous post Competition Winner Immortalised on Collins 2012 Big Road Atlas Britain.

If you know any comparable cartographic curiosities please let us know by posting a comment below or contacting us here at Collins Maps.