Examples of different kinds of maps:
* Political Maps: A political map does not show any topographic features. It
instead focuses solely on the state and national boundaries of a place. They
also include the locations of cities - both large and small, depending on the
detail of the map. A common type of political map would be one showing the
50 U.S. states and their borders along with the United States' north and south
international borders
*Physical Map: A physical map is one that shows the physical landscape
features of a place. They generally show things like mountains, rivers and lakes
and water is always shown with blue. Mountains and elevation changes are
usually shown with different colors and shades to show relief. Normally on
physical maps green shows lower elevations while browns show high
elevations. An example of a physical map is one showing the state of Hawaii
*Topographic Map: A topographic map is similar to a physical map in that it
shows different physical landscape features. They are different however
because they use contour lines instead of colors to show changes in the
landscape. Contour lines on topographic maps are normally spaced at regular
intervals to show elevation changes (e.g. each line represents a 100 foot (30 m)
elevation change) and when lines are close together the terrain is steep. For
example a topographic map showing the Big Island of Hawaii would have
contour lines that are close together near the steep, high elevation mountains
of Mauna Loa and Kilauea
*Climate Map: A climate map shows information about the climate of an area.
They can show things like the specific climatic zones of an area based on the
temperature, the amount of snow an area receives or average number of
cloudy days. These maps normally use colors to show different climatic areas.
What is a scale?
A scale shows the size of an area in relation to the actual size
Three different scales are:
The Graphic Method
A Graphic Scale depicts scale using a line, with separations marked by smaller
intersecting lines, similar to a ruler. One side of the scale represents the
distance on the map, while the other side represents the true distances of
objects in real life. By measuring the distance between two objects on a map,
and then referring to the graphic scale, it is easy to calculate the actual
distance between those same items.
The Verbal Method
The verbal method of depicting scale simply uses words to describe the ratio
between the maps scale and the real world. For example, a map might say
something like “One Inch equals one hundred and fifty miles”. Calculating scale
on a map using the verbal method is easy. Simply measure the distance on the
map, and then follow the verbal directions to calculate the actual distance.
The Fractional Method
The fractional method for portraying the scale of a map uses a representative
fraction to describe the ration between the map, and the real world. This can
be shown as 1:50,000 or 1/50,000. In this example 1 unit of distance on the
map represents 50,000 of the same units of distance in the real world. This
means that 1 inch on the map represents 50,000 inches in the real world, 1 ft
on the map represents 50,000 feet on the map, and so forth.
* Political Maps:
*Physical Map:
*Topographic Map:
* Climate Map:
How do I determine distance between two places on a map?
Formula for km:
Distance (mm) X Map scale
1 000 000
Formula for m:
Distance (mm) X Map scale
1 000
Example: The distance between two places on a map is 55mm. How far (a)
kilometres and (b) meters are they actually apart?
Map scale is given at 1:50 000
(a) km
55 X 50 000
1 000 000
= 2,75 km
(b) km
55 X 50 000
1 000
= 2750 m
Homework:
1) Distance between two places on a map is 65mm. What is
the actual distance in km?
2) Distance between two places on a map is 65mm. What is
the actual distance in m?
3) Distance between two places on a map is 55mm. What is
the actual distance in km?
4) Distance between two places on a map is 80mm. What is
the actual distance in m?
Homework: Answers
1.
65 (mm) X 50 000
1 000 000
= 3,25 km
2.
65 (mm) X 50 000
1 000
= 3250 m
3.
55 (mm) X 50 000
1 000 000
= 2,75 km
4.
80 (mm) X 50 000
1 000
= 4 000 m