The
cartography of India begins with early charts for navigation and constructional plans for buildings. Indian traditions influenced
Tibetan and
Islamic traditions, and in turn, were influenced by the
British cartographers who solidified modern concepts into India's map making. A prominent foreign geographer and cartographer was
Hellenistic geographer Ptolemy (90–168) who researched at the library in
Alexandria to produce a detailed eight-volume record of world geography. During the Middle Ages, India sees some exploration by
Chinese and
Muslim geographers, while European maps of India remain very sketchy. A prominent medieval cartographer was
Persian geographer Abu Rayhan Biruni (973–1048) who visited India and studied the country's geography extensively.