Cartophilia is an illness common to many travelers-- indeed, I suffer from it myself. The disease is carried by, among other things, the travel bug, and it is highly contagious. Okay, contrived metaphor over.

Cartophilia, of course, refers to a love of maps. I love maps for lots of reasons: as works of art, for remembering old trips, for planning new ones, and most importantly, for whittling the too-huge world down to a manageable size. To indulge this passion, I've recently stumbled across a couple of bookmark-worthy map-related blogs. The first, started just a few months ago, is called Cartophilia and is produced by a self-described amateur map-lover. It's great for keeping up with all the map-related news I require, and it's always chock-full of interesting photos and maps.

The second cartoblog (trademark!) is the creatively-titled Strange Maps, which dispenses Asian cooking recipes. Only kidding-- it's got a bunch of weird maps. Whether it's the Blonde Map of Europe, a Transit Map of the World's Transit Systems, or whatever the hell this is, Strange Maps consistently offers content that is both edifying and entertaining. Check 'em out because, hey, learning is fun.

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Blogs, Photos