Parts of A Map

A
map is a symbolic representation of selected characteristics of a place, usually

drawn on a flat surface. Maps present information about the world in a simple,
visual way. They teach about the world by showing sizes and shapes of
countries, locations of features, and distances between places. Maps can
show distributions of things over Earth, such as settlement patterns. They can
show exact locations of houses and streets in a city neighborhood.
Mapmakers, called cartographers, create maps for many different purposes.
Vacationers use road maps to plot routes for their trips. Meteorologists—
scientists who study weather—use weather maps to prepare forecasts. City
planners decide where to put hospitals and parks with the help of maps that
show land features and how the land is currently being used.
Some common features of maps include scale, symbols, and grids.

Scale
All maps are scale models of reality. A map’s scale indicates the

relationship between the distances on the map and the actual distances
on Earth. This relationship can be expressed by a graphic scale,
a verbal scale, or a representative fraction.
The most common type of graphic scale looks like a ruler. Also called
a bar scale, it is simply a horizontal line marked off in miles,
kilometers, or some other unit measuring distance.
Along with scale, symbols, and grids, other features appear regularly
on maps. A good way to remember these features is DOGSTAILS:
date, orientation, grid, scale, title, author, index, legend, and sources.
Title, date, author, and sources usually appear on the map though
not always together. The map’s title tells what the map is about,
revealing the map’s purpose and content. For example, a map might
be titled “Political Map of the World” or “Battle of Gettysburg,
1863.”
A map’s sources are where the author of the map got his or her
information.
Noting a map’s author is important because the
cartographer’s perspective will be reflected in the content.
“Date” refers to either the time the map was made or the
date relevant to the information on the map. A map of
areas threatened by a wildfire, for instance, would have a date, and
perhaps even a time, to track the progress of the wildfire.
Orientation refers to the presence of a compass rose or simply an

arrow indicating directions on the map. If only an arrow is used, the
arrow usually points north.
A map’s index helps viewers find a specific spot on the map using the
grid.
A map’s legend explains what the symbols on a map mean.
Symbols
Cartographers use symbols to represent geographic features. For

example, black dots represent cities, circled stars
represent capital cities, and different sorts of lines represent
boundaries, roads, highways, and rivers. Colors are often used as
symbols. Green is often used for forests, tan for deserts, and blue for
water. A map usually has a legend, or key, that gives the scale of the
map and explains what the various symbols represent.
Grids
Many maps include a grid pattern, or a series of crossing lines that

create squares or rectangles. The grid helps people locate places on
the map. On small-scale maps, the grid is often made up
of latitude and longitude lines. Latitude lines run east-west around
the globe, parallel to the Equator, an imaginary line that circles the
middle of Earth. Longitude lines run north-south, from pole to pole.
Latitude and longitude lines are numbered. The intersection of latitude
and longitude lines, called coordinates, identify the exact location of a
place.
Types of Maps
Cartographers make many different types of maps, which can

be divided into two broad categories: general reference
maps and thematic maps.
General reference maps show general geographic information about
an area, including the locations of cities, boundaries, roads, mountains,
rivers, and coastlines.
Thematic maps display distributions, or patterns, over Earth’s surface.
They emphasize one theme, or topic. These themes can include
information about people, other organisms, or the land. Examples
include crop production, people’s average income, where different
languages are spoken, or average annual rainfall.

Parts of A Map

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A

map is a symbolic representation of selected characteristics of a place, usually

Some common features of maps include scale, symbols, and grids.

All maps are scale models of reality. A map’s scale indicates the

Orientation refers to the presence of a compass rose or simply an

Cartographers use symbols to represent geographic features. For

Many maps include a grid pattern, or a series of crossing lines that

Cartographers make many different types of maps, which can

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