kartet

Kartet is a noun used in Norwegian (and related Scandinavian languages) to denote a map or chart of a region. It functions as the definite form of kart, referring to a specific map that has been mentioned or is clearly present, as in a sentence like “Kartet viser veiene i fjellområdet.” It is commonly used in education, signage, cartography, and digital mapping to refer to a particular map rather than to maps in general.

Etymology and cognates: The root word kart has counterparts in other languages, such as kartan in Swedish and kort in Danish, as well as Karte in German and kaart in Dutch. The common origin is traced to Latin carta meaning “paper” or “document,” via Romance or Germanic intermediaries. This lineage explains why nearly all European languages use a form of the word that connects to ‘map’ or ‘chart.’

Usage and contexts: Kartet appears in discussions of geography, navigation, and cartography, as well as in GIS interfaces, textbooks, and road atlases. It can denote both physical, printed maps and digital representations in computer or mobile applications. In everyday language, it is used to talk about the map of a particular area, the map shown on a screen, or a diagram that represents spatial information. Related terms include kartografi (cartography) and kartlegging (mapping).