Overcoming the gap between geography and development cooperation The essay explores the difficult relationship between geography and cooperation for development. On the one hand, there is a self-referential world of cooperation looking for collaborations based on a superficial and stereotypical knowledge of the profile of geographers; on the other hand, we investigate geographers’ responsibilities, as they are unable to communicate the potential of their knowledge and operational tools. The essay shows the symbiosis between “territory” and “cartography” as a strategy for the revitalization of this relationship, since geography has recently entered a new season of studies assuming mapping systems as tools able to substantiate such a link. Keywords: Geography, development cooperation, mapping systems.