International Map of the World

This article traces the century-long rise and fall of the International Map of the World (IMW), an ambitious cartographic project from its conception by Albrecht Penck at the 1891 International Geographical Congress in Bern to its abandonment by the United Nations in 1989. It details the arduous negotiations and compromises over standardization (projection, scale, units, prime meridian), and analyzes how the two World Wars, conflicting national interests, technological shifts (e.g., photogrammetry, aeronautical charts), and weak governance and funding collectively led to its ultimate failure. The article argues that the IMW's legacy lies not only in its maps but also in its lessons for international scientific cooperation, with its failure reflecting the dominance of national self-interest over scientific ideals during a turbulent century.