Finding Your Way

Chapter 1

A map is a visual representation that shows all or a part of the earth's surface. Basically, it's like a picture of the earth taken from high up in the air or from space.

Most maps are flat...

... But not all maps are the same.

Maps can show land and water areas found on the earth as well as features located on the land such as roads, buildings and trees.

Maps can also show population, climate and weather patterns, regions susceptible to natural disasters, and areas of human activity such as trade routes and major industries to name a few.

You can make a map about almost anything.

Canada’s Population Density

World Climate

World Ocean Floor

Base Map

Child Labor

Base Map

Volcanoes

Base Map

Clothing Exports

Base Map

Clothing Imports

The study of maps is called cartography. A cartographer is a person who makes maps.

Parts of a Map

All maps have a title. The title lets the reader know what kind of information is being presented.

Because you can make a map about almost anything, the title is very important and should be the first thing you look at when using a map.

Cartographers use small drawings, symbols, lines, or colors to stand for different things when they make their maps. Symbols stand for something and often look like or suggest the features they are representing.

The symbols are contained in the legend.

Every map has a legend, also known as a key. A key is the information that opens the door to reading the map. It tells you what the symbols, lines, and colors mean.

Labels are words that explain something about the map. They mark countries, cities, oceans, lines of latitude and longitude, etc.

Scale measures distance on a map. It shows the ratio between the distance on the map, and the distance in real life.

For example, a distance of 1cm on a map may equal 100km in real life. (1cm = 100km)

As you probably already know, a compass is an instrument that shows which direction you are facing or traveling.

An ordinary compass is a round, glass-covered box with a needle inside it. The needle always points north.

On a map you will always find a compass rose to show the orientation of the image.

The arrows of the compass rose point to these directions: north, east, south, and west. These directions are called cardinal directions, or the cardinal points, of the compass.

Between each cardinal direction is an intermediate direction. The intermediate directions are northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast.

Questions

1. On the compass rose, fill in the cardinal and intermediate directions using the standard abbreviations: N, S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, and SW. Remember Never Eat Shredded Wheat.

2. What kind of maps are described below?

I. ______________ - show natural features like mountains, rivers, lakes and oceans.

II. ______________- Show borders of areas like countries, states, and cities.

III. ______________ - Show movement of people, changing borders, battles and other historical events.

Physical Maps

Political Maps

Historical Maps

3. List four other types of maps.

I. ________________________

II. ________________________

III. ________________________

IV. ________________________

Nautical Maps

Geological Maps

Topographic Maps

Road Maps