Warm Up
WHAT PARTS OF A MAP CAN YOU NAME?
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR WHEN YOU SEE A MAP?
Introduction to Map Skills
IMPORTANT PARTS OF A MAP & GLOBE
TO LOOK FOR FIRST
6 Things that should be on EVERY map
1. Title - should be pertaining to the subject of the map.
2. Orientation - Compass Rose should indicate North.
3. Date - What the date is.
4. Author - Who created the map.
5. Legend - What symbols mean on the map. (key)
6. Scale - The size of space on the map
TODALS!
– THING
PARTS OF A MAP
THIS IS THE TITLE! ;)
Compass Rose
shows the
“orientation”
Map Scale
Map Key/Legend
ACTIVITY:
IDENTIFY THE MAP PARTS 1-4
RAISE YOUR HAND TO ANSWER 
WHAT TYPES OF MAPS ARE THERE?
• Physical
• Political
• Thematic (Chloropleth
and Cartogram)
WHAT ARE POLITICAL MAPS?
 Show features on the earth’s surface that humans created
Political Borders – borders decided by Governments (latitude &
longitude)
 Examples?
National and State Borders, City Limits, capitals
WHAT ARE PHYSICAL MAPS?
 show types of
landforms and
bodies of water
 Physical Borders –
countries Separated
by a physical feature
 Ex. Rio Grande
River, Ural
Mountains
WHAT ARE CHLOROPLETHS?


Thematic map that uses graded
differences in shading or color or the
placing of symbols inside defined areas
on the map in order to indicate the
average values of some property or
quantity in those areas
Many different kinds.
Examples???

Climate

Vegetation

Natural Resources

Population
WHAT ARE CARTOGRAMS?
 A cartogram is a map in which
some thematic mapping variable is
substituted for land area or distance.
 The geometry or space of the map
is distorted in order to convey the
information of this alternate
variable.
THE GEOGRAPHER’S GRID &
LATITUDE/LONGITUDE
IMPORTANT LINES ON “GEOGRAPHER’S GRID”
Equator -
Runs East and West
divides Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres
Prime Meridian
Runs North and South
Divides Earth into Eastern and Western Hemispheres
WHAT IS A
HEMISPHERE?
 One half of the Earth.
THE
TROPICS
Tropic of Cancer –
 23.5° North of Equator
 Sun’s most northern location
occurring on June 21st
Tropic of Capricorn –
 23.5° South of Equator
 Sun’s most southern location
occurring on December 21st
THE POLAR CIRCLES
Arctic Circle –
 66.5° North of the Equator
 begins the North polar region
Antarctic Circle –
 66.5° South of the Equator
 begins South polar regions
WHAT IS “LATITUDE
AND LONGITUDE”?
•It is a grid for finding your
location on the Earth.
Like “X and Y” from the
grid in math class,
like a football field,
or like the game
“Battleship”
LATITUDE
“FLATITUDE”

Run East/ West
parallel to Equator
 Measures North and South

Furthest North = 90 degrees North
latitude

Furthest South = 90 degrees South
latitude
Important lines of Latitude:
1. Equator
2. Tropic of Cancer
3. Tropic of Capricorn
4. Arctic Circle
5. Antarctic Circle
LONGITUDE
 Run north/ south
 Measures East and
West
 There are 180 degrees
of East longitude
 and 180 degrees of
West longitude
 Total = 360 degree
circle
 All lines meet at North
Pole and South Pole
HOW DO YOU USE
LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE
TO FIND YOUR WAY?
1.
Find the right hemispheres (N, S, E, W).
2.
Trace latitude and longitude till they meet.
3.
FOLLOW THE CURVE!
LET’S PRACTICE USING LATITUDE AND
LONGITUDE!
But first, let’s watch Matt dance!