The map - "evergreen" in geography education

The geographic map is a diagrammatic symbolic depiction of the earth's surface or a part of it, typically represented on a flat surface. The maps are widely used in geography science as a model of the studied territories and phenomena. At the same time, the importance of maps as a learning tool in geography education is immense. The maps are labeled as "the second language of geography", "alpha and omega of geography"; "litmus paper that shows what is geographic" The map for geography is what is the microscope for biology. So why and what is it all about? What is so special about the geographic map? The current paper will try to find the answers of these difficult questions. It will be presented an up-to-date interpretation and the most general didactical and methodological characterization of the geographic map as a "special source" of information in geography education. Also the author explores map essence, its meaning and peculiarities, and the place of map in regard to the goals, content and methodology of geography training. In the paper is presented an open for discussion model of cartographic competence achieved by pupils in the training process. Consequently, the stages of cultivation of cartographic competence are explored: reading the map - decoding the graphic images and map description; map interpretation – reading and evaluation of the map