Are there any parts of the world left unmapped? Given the ubiquity of online map services and the seemingly endless maps one can purchase of all parts of the globe you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s nowhere left to map. In fact it’s one of the classic questions one gets when asked what you do for a job. Upon hearing ‘cartographer’, the common response is along the lines of “hasn’t everywhere been mapped”.

This map, produced by the British Antarctic Survey fills in one of the missing pieces by mapping the Busen region of South Georgia in more detail than ever before. This is an inhospitable environment yet one which is seeing increased visits for tourism as people attempt to tread in the footsteps of Shackleton.

The map is the result of many hours of pouring over 90m imagery but, more than that, it required several months of ground survey work. The resulting map illustrates the harsh environment and the rocky landscape. The hillshading and elevation tints are well marshalled and there is sufficient labelling.

This possibly isn’t going to be a best seller but it’s good to know that maps like this are still made and that those missing pieces in the world map are slowly being explored for cartographic purposes.