WHAT IS MAP ?
A map is a representation or a drawing of the earth’s surface or a part
of it drawn on a flat surface according to a scale. But it is impossible to
flatten a round shape completely.
Maps are useful to us for
various purposes. One map shows a small area and a few facts. Another map may
contain as many fact as a big book. When many maps are put together we get an Atlas.
Atlases are of various sizes, measurement drawn on different scales. Maps
provide more information than a globe. They are of different types. Some of
them are described below.
Physical Maps
Maps showing natural features of the earth such as mountains, plateaus,
plains, rivers, oceans etc. are called physical or relief maps.
Political Maps
Maps showing cities, towns, villages, different countries and states of
the world with their boundaries are called political maps.
Thematic Maps
Some maps focus on specific information; such as road maps, rainfall
maps, maps showing distribution of forests, industries etc. are known as thematic
maps.
There are three components
of maps - distance, direction and symbol.
Distance
Maps are drawing, which reduce the entire world or a part of it to fit on
a sheet of paper. But this reduction is done very carefully so that the
distance between the places is real. It can only be possible when a small
distance on paper represents a large distance on the ground. Therefore, a scale
is chosen for this purpose. Scale is the ratio between the actual
distance on the ground and the distance shown on the map.
When large areas like
continents or countries are to be shown on a paper, then we use a small scale.
It is called a small scale map.
When a small area like a village or
town is to be shown on paper, then we use a large scale. It is called a large
scale map.
Large scale maps give
more information than small scale maps.
Direction
Most maps contain an arrow marked with the letter ‘N’ at the upper right
hand corner. This arrow shows the north direction. It is called the north line.
When we know the north, we can find out other directions, for example east,
west and south. There are four major directions, North, South, East and West.
They are called cardinal points. Other four intermediate directions are
north-east (NE), south-east (SE), south-west (SW) and north-west (NW). We can
locate any place more accurately with the help of these intermediate
directions.
Symbols
It is the third important component of a map. It is not possible to draw
on a map the actual shape and size of different features such as buildings,
roads, bridges, trees, railway lines or a well. So, they are shown by using
certain letters, shades, colours, pictures and lines. These symbols give a lot
of information in a limited space. With the use of these symbols, maps can be
drawn easily and are simple to read.
