Geography Maps

It is the third important component of a map. The maps have to depict a number of features, e.g. buildings, trees, villages etc. It becomes difficult to draw them because of their shape and size. Thus symbols are used to depict various physical features. With the use of these symbols, maps can be drawn easily and are simple to read. There is an international agreement regarding the use of these symbols.

The scale is the relation between distance on the map and the corresponding distance on the ground, e.g. if the distance on the map and grounds of same two points is 1 cm and 1km receptively, the scale of the map will be 1cm to 1km, R.F= (1:1000000). Scale is very important in any map. If you know the scale, you will be able to calculate the distance between any two places on a map.

1. Scale 2. Direction 3. Symbol.

4. Globes are preferred more useful than maps because of the reasons given below:
1. It shows the poles, latitudes, longitudes, oceans and continents in their correct shape.
2. There are globes which show various relief features like mountains, plateaus and plains.
3. It also shows distance between the two adjoining meridians which decreases as one goes away from the equator towards the poles.

A compass is a very simple instrument used to find out the direction of a place. It has a magnetic needle, which rotates freely in a horizontal place and is balanced on a fine point. The magnetic needle always points toward north-south direction.

• Maps can show more details
• Many maps when put together make an atlas and show various continents, countries and can provide information about any particular aspect.
• Maps can be drawn in small scale as well as in large scale.
• Maps can be folded / rolled and are easily portable.

Some maps may focus on specific information of the regions, for example rainfall maps, road maps, tourist map and topographical maps. Such maps represent a particular topic or theme and are called thematic maps.

Political maps, which show more human created features (especially boundaries), usually use more colours than physical maps, which represent the landscape often without regard for human modifications.

A globe cannot show as many details as a map can. It does not give details of any country and details like districts, states, town or villages. It is also heavy and difficult to carry around.

The North Pole (true north) is a geographic pole with a stationary location at 90-degrees north. This geographic North Pole is the fixed northernmost point on earth from which all points lie south.
The Magnetic North Pole is not based on true north, but on the magnetosphere of the planet. The Magnetic North Pole lies hundreds of miles away from the true north, with its exact position constantly shifting.

13. Maps not only help us to locate a place but also help us to find distance between two places in the following ways:
1) Find the scale for the map you are going to use. It might be ruler looking bar scale or a written scale in words or numbers.
2) Use a ruler to measure the distance between the two places. If the line is quite curved, use a string to determine the distance and then measure the string.
3) If the scale is a word statement, i.e., 'One centimeter equals one kilometer’ then determine the distance.

The earth rotates west to east, so the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. No matter which side one is facing, east is the morning sun and west is the evening sun or night time.

1. Globes give a good, visual indication of the earth's surface.
2. The shape of the continents and their relative positions are correct.
3. Gives a true representation; whatever position it is viewed from.
4. The shape and size of the various continents is not distorted as compared to representing a spherical surface on a flat piece of paper.

Conventional Symbols are symbols that are used on maps to represent different features.

Map which shows cities, towns, villages, different countries and states of the world with their boundaries are called political maps.

The compass is very stable in areas close to the equator, which is far from "Magnetic North”. At some point close to the Magnetic Pole, the compass will not indicate any particular direction but will begin to drift in a non direction indicating manner. Also, the needle starts to point up or down when getting closer to the poles, due to the so-called magnetic inclination. Cheap compasses with bad bearings may get stuck due to this; therefore, indicate a wrong direction.

A scale is ratio between the distance on the map and the actual distance on the ground. It is of three types:
i) Statement of a scale
ii) Representative Fractions (RF)
iii) Graphical scale

20. Blue - lakes, rivers, streams, oceans, reservoirs, etc. Red - major highways, roads, urban areas, airports, special interest sites, military sites, place names, buildings, borders. Yellow - built-up or urban areas. Green - parks, golf courses, forest, orchards, highways. Brown - deserts, historical sites, national parks, military reservations or bases, contour (elevation) lines. Black - railroads, highways, bridges, place names, buildings, borders.