What is cartography?

A. the science of mapmaking

B. the science of shipbuilding

C. the science of charting direction on a ship

D. the science of measuring distances on the ocean

The word for cartography is composed of the words "carto" and "graphy" (the word and both parts come from Latin). "Carto" refers to a "carta" - that is, a map, and "graphy" means writing - so together, it means map-writing. The correct answer is: A. the science of mapmaking