I chose the Kunyu Wanguo Quantu (1602), a world map created by Matteo Ricci during the Ming Dynasty. It reshaped how Chinese people viewed the ocean—not just as a boundary, but as a bridge connecting China to the rest of the world. It made me think about how global the ocean really is, even centuries ago.

My seventh grade history teacher had a map on her wall that, instead of being focused on Europe and showing the Atlantic ocean, was focused on the Pacific ocean. Because of this, it showed the true size of the Pacific ocean relative to the land we know. It also offered a unique perspective to the view we are used to.

I have seen maps look magical and creative when depicting the oceans in a few different Hollywood depictions. One that stands out to me would be "Flapjack," a cartoon available to stream on Hulu. The map has sea monsters, an island called "candy island," and one of the main characters is a whale who can talk.

I mainly use maps for wind and tide charts. The website I use is called Windy, and it allows me to see where the wind is coming from, how much of it there is, and other weather-related phenomena, such as rain and clouds. I look at this every time I go surfing or sailing.

In Elden Ring, which is an open world video game, the player doesn’t actually get to explore the oceans. But on the map, the oceans are still illustrated. The colors of the water are muted and dark, are there are images of travelers in boats paddling with oars and other interesting details like a whirlpool with something in the center of it. Some players believe that these details are just there to further the old-timey aesthetic of the map and tie into the time period in which the game takes place, but some see it as more environmental storytelling that ties into the game’s lore. Regardless of what the game writers intended, I still really enjoy the way they designed the oceans in the map. It makes the ocean seem more connected to the rest of the world and opens the imagination to other events that could have occurred in the waters of the Lands Between. This feature makes the oceans seem like less of a physical barrier that dictates where the map ends and more of a mystery that the player is unable to investigate.