Map Skills Basics
Why we use maps
• Maps help us locate places all over the world.
• Maps are preferred to globes because:
– Maps show more detail
– Maps are easier to use
– Maps are more accurate
Continents
• There are 7 large
landmasses on the earth.
We recognize these
landmasses as continents.
– North America, South
America, Europe, Asia,
Africa and Antarctica.
• Add Australia to your notes
• Asia is the largest
continent in both size and
population
Oceans
• The Earth has 1 major
ocean that we divide
into 4.
– Pacific Ocean, Atlantic
Ocean, Indian Ocean and
Arctic Ocean
• The question of the 5th
ocean?
– Southern Ocean
How we look at the Earth
• The Earth is divided into
4 hemispheres.
– East and West
– North and South
• Hemisphere: a division
of the earth in half
Latitude
• Latitude or parallels:
east and west circles
around the globe
• Equator: 0 degrees
latitude~ cuts the earth
into Northern and
Southern hemispheres
Longitude
• Longitude or meridians:
north and south circles
around the globe.
• Prime Meridian: 0 degrees
longitude- cuts the Earth
into Eastern and Western
Hemispheres.
– Runs through Greenwich,
England.
• Longitude lines meet at the
North and South Poles.
BrainPop
• http://www.brainpop.c
om/socialstudies/geogr
aphy/latitudeandlongitu
de/
Scale
• Scale is used to
determine the size of an
area on a map or globe.
• Helps us to determine
distance between two
or more locations.
Using Scale to Determine Distance
1. Place a small piece of paper along the scale so
you can see the miles just above the edge of the
paper.
2. On the edge of the paper, mark the map
distances
Using Scale Cont.
• The edge of
your paper
should now
look like a
make scale.
Use it to
measure the
distance
between
locations.
Compass Rose
• Compass Rose shows
the directions on a map.
• Cardinal Directions
– North, South, East and
West
• Intermediate Directions:
– Northeast, Southeast,
Southwest and
Northwest
Key or Legend
• A map key (also known
as a legend) tells what
the symbols on a map
represent.
• Every map key may be
different.