ELEMENTS OF MAPS
COMPASS ROSE AND DIRECTIONS When reading a map it s always important to know your directions. The Compass Rose is the tool to help you do that. Map directions are broken down into 2 main types; Cardinal Directions and Intermediate Directions CARDINAL DIRECTIONS NORTH (N) SOUTH (S) EAST (E) WEST (W) NW W SW S SE NE E INTERMEDIATE DIRECTIONS NORTHWEST (NW) NORTHEAST (NE) SOUTHWEST (SW) SOUTHEAST (SE) Label the directions on your Compass Rose on your notes. TURN TO PAGE 8 IN YOUR ATLAS: What direction would you be going if you traveled from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Los Angeles, USA? NORTHWEST (NW)
Map Legends A map legend explains the information shown on the map. The legend unlocks the secrets to any map. The information found in the legend tells you what type of map you re reading. WORLD RELIGIONS MAP AGE EXPECTANCY MAP What type of map do you think this is? What type of map do you think this is?
LET S PRACTICE WITH MAP LEGENDS Turn to page 76 in your atlas. Use the map legend to answer the following questions: 1) What type of map is this? ENVIRONMENTS MAP 2) Which environment best describes the majority of the northern regions of Africa? DESERT 3) Which 3 environments are seen mostly on this map? DESERT, FOREST, GRASSLAND Using the map legend and the map, provide a brief 2-3 sentence summary that explains the environments of Africa? EXAMPLE ANSWER: Africa has a variety of environments throughout the continent. The northern regions of Africa are mostly desert with forests and grasslands being the other main environments. Small areas of Africa include crop & woodland plus crop & grazing land as well.
SPECIFIC TYPES OF MAPS: The two most common types of maps you will see are Physical Maps and Political Maps. In your own words, describe what each type of map shows. Use the maps in your atlas from pages 8-11 to help you form your answer. PHYSICAL MAP POLITICAL MAP
LET S PRACTICE: 1) According to the climate map, the majority of West Virginia experiences what type of climate throughout the year? The majority of West Virginia would experience a moderate climate with a humid summer. 2) According to the economies map, what is the main economy throughout the areas of western New York? The main economy throughout western New York is manufacturing and commerce.
USE THE MAPS OF SOUTH AMERICA TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: People living the capital city of Suriname are most likely to earn money in what type of economic activity? Agriculture
LET S TRY ANOTHER: What kind of energy plants can a person work in if they lived in the north eastern regions of Pakistan? Hydroelectric
What environment best describes the majority of Thailand? The majority of Thailand is covered by crop & woodland.
SCALE Obviously, maps are much, much smaller than the real world land areas. Maps use a tool called a scale to help us determine approximate distance between two places. Scales will be different depending on the specific map being looked at. To determine the distance between places on a map, refer to the scale bar. Maps will include these to show distances in both miles and kilometers. HOW TO USE A SCALE BAR To get the most accurate results it is advised that you use a ruler. Use the atlas, pages 32-33. Use your ruler to measure the distance of 300 miles in both inches and centimeters. Using your ruler, determine the correct number of inches and centimeters for 300 miles. USING INCHES: 300 miles = 1 9/16 in USING CENTIMTERS: 300 miles = 4 cm WHICH MEASURMENT IS EASIER TO USE???? Scale Bar Using this scale, 4 cm = 300 miles, then how many cm would be the following distances? 8cm 12cm 16cm 2cm 1cm HOW SCALE WORKS Using this scale, any straight line that measures 4 cm is equivalent to about a 300 miles distance.
MEASUREMENT IN CM APPROXIMATE MILES 1 CM 75 MILES 2CM 150 MILES 4 CM 300 MILES 8CM 600 MILES 12 CM 900 MILES 16 CM 1200 MILES According to this scale, every 4 cm is about 300 miles. Using that information, he helpful chart can be made that shows the approximate miles as it relates to other measurements. For example: If two locations were 10 cm apart, you could add 600 miles (8cm) and 150 miles (2cm) to get 750 miles (10cm)
The actual distance between Boise and Oklahoma City is 1,141 miles. GUIDED PRACTICE WITH SCALE According to the scale, 4 cm on a ruler is equal to about 300 miles. Measure the distance from Boise, Idaho to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The distance on the ruler equals about 15 cm. To figure out the approximate distance we need to use some basic math ratios. 4cm = 300 miles 8 cm = 600 miles 12 cm = 900 miles 16 cm = 1200 miles (I know the distance is going to be close to this but a little less because the measurement was 15 cm) 2 cm = 150 miles 1 cm = 75 miles Using the converted scale numbers I can probably figure that the distance between Boise and Oklahoma City is around 1,125 miles.
LET S PRACTICE WITH SCALE Turn to page 32-33 in your atlas. Using your ruler and the map scale, your goal is to determine the distance between specific cities within 20 miles of the actual distance. PHOENIX, AZ TO SAN DIEGO, CA Measurement is about 4cm. SAN ANTONIO, TX TO SALT LAKE CITY, UT Measurement is about 14 ½ cm MIAMI, FL TO ATLANTA, GA Measurement is about 8 cm INDIANAPOLIS, IN TO NEW ORLEANS, LA Measurement is about 9 ½ cm ACTUAL DISTANCE BETWEEN CITIES 299 MILES 1088 MILES 607 MILES 714 MILES