The riddle, “I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish,” cleverly describes the nature of a map. A map is a powerful tool for visualizing the world, offering a bird’s-eye view of landscapes, regions, and features. However, it does so in an abstract and symbolic manner, lacking the physical presence of what it represents.
When the riddle says, “I have cities, but no houses,” it points to the fact that maps display cities as points or shaded areas, highlighting their locations and sometimes their size or significance. However, these representations lack the intricate details of the cities themselves—there are no actual houses, buildings, or people on a map, just symbols indicating where these places exist in the real world.
Answer: A map.
The phrase “I have mountains, but no trees” further underscores this abstraction. A map may show the presence of mountain ranges through contour lines or shaded relief, but it doesn’t capture the full essence of these natural features. The map lacks the trees, wildlife, and rugged terrain that characterize actual mountains, offering only a simplified depiction to help users understand elevation and landscape.
Finally, “I have water, but no fish” reflects the way maps indicate bodies of water, such as rivers, lakes, and oceans, with blue areas or lines. While these symbols help users identify water sources and navigate around them, they don’t convey the rich ecosystems, the fish, or the dynamic nature of these aquatic environments.
In essence, this riddle captures the essence of a map as a symbolic and functional representation of the world. It holds the power to guide and inform, yet it remains a two-dimensional abstraction, devoid of the living elements that make up the real places it represents.