[GIS] Examples of ASCII-art maps

cartographymaps

According to Wikipedia, ASCII-art is one of the earliest techniques used for digital graphical design. An ASCII-art technique can be traced back to 1939 and computer-art pioneers have used it since 1966. Nowadays ASCII art can be found in info files, console applications, non-graphic computer terminals and etc.

Around the Web one can see various beautiful examples of ASCII art, but not as that impressive examples of maps. Do you think that ASCII-art is just far too unsuitable for cartographic purposes? If not, can you post examples of an ASCII-art map?

Best Answer

there are a few examples on this site, like the maps of Africa and USA below. Also one map here and here

Also note that in the first days of digital image analysis, raster images where printed with ascii caracters (one caracter per value). This was not really "art", but it was the only way to visualise (on screen or on paper) a raster when screens and printer were monochrome. 

          ___________
           / |       | |
        ,' ,'         \/',_    __
     ,'__/             |    ',|  "'-,,,,,,,
   ,/  _|',            |                |   \
   |  |   |',           \               |    \
   |__|   |  ',          ',             |     \
  /       |     ',        ,_"""""---'-_,'______\
 /        |        ',,_-'"    |        |        ',
|_________|         |         /        |        / ',,'""""|
|__  |        ,____/         |        _|       /    |___  /
'\___|      ,'_,'|_,-,_______|         |       /      , '/
  \,' _', _/  ,, ,',|        |          \       |   '" ,'
   \ / |_ ,  |  \||||       ,' |      ,'|    _""    |,'
    ' ,'  ', |  ||||| __ ,'   _|_ ,'    |    |""---/
       ' ,"""','"""""" |     /           \"""|    /
                      |_____|_      __''"    \   |
                     |  |  /  """"""   |      \ /
                      \ / |            |       /
                       \--'            |      /
                       |   \__        _|__    |
                       |      |__     |   ',,,|
                       |         |____|   /   |
                       /         _|    ,,'_   |
                      |__________|___,'  ,,' /
                       \      ---'    \,/  ,'
                        \     |    ,,,' \_/
                         |    |_,''      |/
                         |    |       []_|
                          \___'        /
                           \       __,'
                            \_____/        FoulWing



         ,__                                                  _,
 \~\|  ~~---___              ,                          | \
  | Wash./ |   ~~~~~~~|~~~~~| ~~---,                VT_/,ME>
 /~-_--__| |  Montana |N Dak\ Minn/ ~\~~/Mich.     /~| ||,'
 |Oregon /  \         |------|   { WI / /~)     __-NY',|_\,NH
/       |Ida.|~~~~~~~~|S Dak.\    \   | | '~\  |_____,|~,-'Mass.
|~~--__ |    | Wyoming|____  |~~~~~|--| |__ /_-'Penn.{,~Conn (RI)
|   |  ~~~|~~|        |    ~~\ Iowa/  `-' |`~ |~_____{/NJ
|   |     |  '---------, Nebr.\----| IL|IN|OH,' ~/~\,|`MD (DE)
',  \ Nev.|Utah| Colo. |~~~~~~~|    \  | ,'~~\WV/ VA |
 |Cal\    |    |       | Kansas| MO  \_-~ KY /`~___--\
 ',   \  ,-----|-------+-------'_____/__----~~/N Car./
  '_   '\|     |      |~~~|Okla.|    | Tenn._/-,~~-,/
    \    |Ariz.| New  |   |_    |Ark./~~|~~\    \,/S Car.
     ~~~-'     | Mex. |     `~~~\___|MS |AL | GA /
         '-,_  | _____|          |  /   | ,-'---~\
             `~'~  \    Texas    |LA`--,~~~~-~~,FL\
                    \/~\      /~~~`---`         |  \
                        \    /                   \  |
                         \  |                     '\'
                          `~'
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