Globes as Gifts
Looking for a great gift? Something a little different from the everyday? Carto Graphics has got you sorted. Make anniversaries or birthdays memorable for your loved ones by gifting them a compact world. A globe is a classy yet useful item, whether at home or the workplace. Don’t agonise over what to buy – a globe is a perfect choice. Children learn while playing and adults love to explore the world anew. Surprise someone with a beautiful globe on their anniversary or birthday.
Know the world with a globe
A globe brings the entire world within your reach. It can help you understand how changes occur around the world at every moment and gives you an understanding of how the Earth moves while orbiting around the Sun.
Colour variations on our globes indicate different landforms, vegetation and climatic conditions making these concepts easier to learn and understand.
Our globes are manufactured to perfection without any distortion of areas, directions or distances, which means land masses, countries and regions are presented in exact proportion.
Our globe can be paired with an atlas; when used together they become a fantastic learning reference.
Globes over the years
Globes have been popular items as far back as the 16th century. Rulers and noblemen of this time often exchanged globes as gifts, as they indicated their command over the world. In the 17th century people decorated their homes with globes, which were handcrafted with elaborated designs.
And, of course, globes have been used for navigation and exploration for centuries.
The 18th century is considered to be the second age of exploration, and the creation and use of globes progressed extensively over this time. When four British Royal Navy ships were wrecked off the Scilly Isles because of navigational errors in 1707, the British Government offered large monetary prizes to those who could find the right method to determine exact longitude and this influenced to the evolution of globes.
In 19th century, globes were essential tools for training navigators and astronomers. In addition, it was around this time that people began to use globes as an educational device for children. Even ‘pocket globes’ were invented so that they could be carried from place to place easily.
Finally, the 20th century saw a complete turnaround in the globe’s history, as modern technologies made it bigger and more detailed. The 1930s saw large-scale production of globes by the Replogle Company, and increasing interest in a device that had been the realm of princes and merchants for more than 500 years.
How are our globes made
The process of putting our globes together begins with a flat world. Cartographers create the highly detailed and informative artwork and then the separate hemispheres, southern and northern, are printed on different sheets of cardboard.
‘Gores’ or tapering triangles are cut into the printed sheets by machine; the globe looks like a pinwheel or a banana peel after getting cut, with a pole at the centre and the parts of the peel forming the segments of the world.
The globe is crafted so that the gores are placed with adjacent segments and are then matched correctly when joined, then each hemisphere is heated and pressurized in a press to give them the correct shape and turn them into half spheres. The press works like a curling iron to heat each hemisphere.
The two hemispheres are then joined together with glue to create a sphere, with the equator tape covering the seam.
The complete structure is sprayed with a liquid laminate to make it long-lasting, fingerprint proof and lustrous. After going through the entire process, the spheres are fitted to a huge variety of mounting materials; from low-priced plastic to brass. Illuminated globes are furnished with light bulbs, electric switches and wires.
Finally, the globes are securely packaged for shipping.
Our various globes
An illuminated desk globe is not only an object of beauty, but is also an item that gives you a cool perspective of how the Earth looks in the day and at night. It can light up additional points of interest to show political and topographic information. Illuminated desk globes can be used for home decor or as a night light in a child’s room.
A floor globe is manufactured to ultimate perfection. Equipped with a sturdy tripod wooden stand, it can be adjusted accurately to fit any space. A floor globe has a classy antique look, and is a striking addition to your home.
Inflatable globes are popular children’s gifts and a very compact teaching tool. This fun toy can help children learn while playing.
Our desk globes come in two main colours: tan or blue. Tan-coloured globes provide an appealing vintage appearance, the antique-style colour beautifies any room. Blue-coloured globes, show all bodies of water in blue and consist of colourful contrasting political boundaries. These are our most popular globes.
9 amazing facts about globes
- The very first globe was made in ancient Greece by Crates of Mallus around 150 BC.
- The ancient Greeks never believed in ‘flat earth’ theories. They were aware that the world is spherical and crafted the first globe to represent their knowledge.
- Greek astronomy established sphericity of the Earth in the 3rd century BC.
- Mughal metallurgists invented world’s first seamless celestial globe. It was made for the emperor Jahangir who ruled India from 1605 to 1627.
- An armillary sphere is an early type of astronomical globe made up of a spherical framework of rings all around.
- Erdapfel is the oldest surviving terrestrial globe. It was created by Martin Behaim in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1492. Erdapfel means Earth apple.
- Unfortunately Erdapfel had a few omissions. North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica were all left off the globe.
- Earlier, globes were manufactured by gluing a printed paper map onto a sphere. The sphere was often made of wood and glass.
- The Earth is not the only object mapped onto a globe. You can buy a globe of the Moon, and the planet Mars has also been mapped on a globe.
A globe is not only a guide to our modern world; its functionality extends to many other areas of learning. A Carto Graphics globe makes events in today’s world more meaningful and can put the history of our changing world in context. It can enhance our understanding of geographical features and inspire you to explore more of our world.
If you are looking for a unique, timeless present for an anniversary, birthday, graduation, retirement or wedding, then a globe is perfect. There can be no other thoughtful gift than a globe.
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