Where are the Great Plains? A cartographic analysis

Geographic regions all have some degree of uncertainty, though this is seld om represented on their maps. Uncertainty of the Great Plains boundary is s hown here Ly comparing 50 previously published maps of the region. These ma ps were found in a variety of sources, from classic 1930s geographic works to current regional studies on the Internet. BS' examining this diverse col lection, a distinction can be seen between those maps using primarily physi cal criteria to define the region and those using cultural characteristics, or a combination of these two characteristics. This distinction is support ed Ly trends in boundary shape, size, and even the map's date of publicatio n. The Great Plains is shown as a complex region, subject to the interpreta tions of individual cartographers, and can be better understood by consider ing all points of view rather than any single boundary line.