Celebrating 50 Years of Cartographica, 1965–2015

Summary

This historical review commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of Cartographica by tracing the journal’s institutional, editorial, and intellectual development from 1965 to 2015. Drawing on publication records and earlier retrospective studies, it explains the journal’s unconventional launch as The Cartographer, its renaming as Canadian Cartographer and later Cartographica, and its evolving combination of regular issues, monographs, and thematic collections. The article highlights Bernard and Barbara Gutsell’s foundational contributions, subsequent editorial transitions, publication delays, and changes in format and cover design. It also emphasizes the journal’s engagement with historical cartography, computer mapping, GIS, and critical cartographic theory, including influential work by Douglas and Peucker and J. B. Harley. Overall, Cartographica’s history reflects the transformation of postwar cartography into a diverse scholarly discipline, while demonstrating the lasting importance of sustained editorial leadership and adaptation to technological and intellectual change.