1. a) What is a map?
Answers may vary, but should include the
following concepts:
Maps are a flat-surface representation of a
part (or all) of Earth’s surface
Maps use symbols (including colours) to
show features on Earth’s surface
b) Why are maps useful tools?
Answers may vary, but should
include:
• Maps are useful tools for showing
spatially related information
c) How do maps help focus the
reader’s attention on just a few
specific things?
…by presenting only a selected
number of features that are found on
Earth.
(pages 22-25)
Imago Mundi (c. 600 BCE)
Babylonian map, the oldest known
world map, 6th century BCE
Hereford Mappa Mundi 1300
• Drawn on a single sheet of
vellum
• Measures 158 cm by
133 cm
• The writing is in black ink,
with additional red and
gold, and blue or green for
water (with the Red Sea
coloured red)
• Captions convey a mass of
information on Biblical
subjects and general
history, in addition to
geography
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hetq6CDfUUE&list=PLna7IMjegItQRjosiVkFrd5OJrZPfxIfU
2. What are general-purpose maps
used for?
GPMs show a wide variety of information:
• They are designed to provide a broad
understanding of an area
• They are used for every day purposes (ex.
finding the location of a park on a city
map, planning a canoe trip in a large
provincial park)
3. a) What is the purpose of thematic
maps?
TMs are used to display very specific
information.
Examples:
• Maps that show the location of
secondary schools in a district
• Maps that show routes of school buses in
a rural area
b) Why are thematic maps useful?
TMs are useful because:
They are easy to understand
Why are they easy to understand?
…because there is a limited amount
of information on the map
c) Find 3 examples of thematic maps
in your textbook
• Page 147 (Figure 13-3) Air masses
and ocean currents
• Page 407 (Figure 30-3) Road and
railway accessibility
• Page 496 (Figure 37-8) Effects of
global warming on vegetation
regions
4. What is the purpose of a
topographic map?
Topographic maps are large-scale
maps that show:
• The natural and human features of a
small area in detail
5. Construct a chart to compare large-scale and small-scale maps.
Large-scale Maps
Definition
Typical Scales
Purpose
Small-scale Maps
5. Construct a chart to compare large-scale and small-scale maps.
Large-scale Maps
Small-scale Maps
Definition
Maps with a large
amount of detail of a
small area
Maps that show less
detail of a larger area
Typical Scales
1: 50 000 or less
Greater than 1:50 000
Purpose
Residential planning,
recreational activities,
military purposes
To show political,
physical, and economic
information