THE IMPORTANCE OF CARTOGRAPHY AND C？HANNüMA IN TEACHING GEOGRAPHY

Reaching objectives in curricula plays an important role in putting geographical understanding into life. Accordingly, map skills play a key role in reaching the objectives in the curricula. Individuals who have strong map skills can take on important roles both for themselves and their societies. This study attempted to investigate the contributions of Katip ？elebi to Turkish cartography, the importance and content of Cihannüma, one of his works, and how maps should be taught at schools. The historical method, a qualitative research method, was used in this study. In the light of the review of the literature in Turkish, this study is limited only to pointing to the importance of Katip ？elebi’ work, Cihannüma, and to maps and visual aids used in teaching geography. The study attempted to understand the messages that Katib ？elebi's work, Cihannüma, intends to convey with respect to geography teaching today, and emphasized that visually-aided geography teaching would be more efficient in geography education. It was particularly inferred from this study that it would be very useful to go from concrete to the abstract in education. As a result of the study, it was also stated that it would be beneficial to use educational materials for the development of one’s multifaceted thinking skills. In this way, maps will help individuals reach new ideas and discoveries visuo-spatially in their minds