Over many millennia, the appearance of the Earth has changed.  Natural movement of tectonic plates, natural disasters and the work of man have affected this blue ball that we call Earth.  At first there were no cities, states, countries, or empires. To define and explain the changes we needed to develop methods of measuring time itself, and ways to define and map the globe. This chapter defines how we measure time, distance, paralles and meridians, survey methods, and such ideas as possession, occupancy, and use.  It also discusses how empires developed and changed boundaries. It discusses how man explored, conquered and took possession, creating colonies countries and countries. A map purchased today will soon change into an antique document. I travel frequently.  Road maps of a state need to be updated annually as new roads and communities emerge.  The globe I purchased 50 years ago shows a world that bears little resemblance to today’s world. It showed the Soviet Union and African Nations that no longer exist. Vietnam is listed as a French Province.  It shows a country called Burma and another called Swaziland. Neither exist today with those names. Politics, warfare, and migration constantly change our world.