Types of Maps
Physical maps The maps in an atlas are often labelled with physical (that is, natural) features. These maps show features such as rivers, mountains, plains and lakes
Street maps: Show parts of a city or town Show features such as schools, religious buildings, and major landmarks Grid lines are drawn over street maps so that the location of features can be easily recorded and found
Thematic maps: Atlases contain maps that are intended to illustrate particular themes May show annual rainfall, ethnic groups or the oil resources of a region or the whole world
Some of the many features choropleth maps can show include: Use shadings or colour to show the average density or concentration of a particular feature in an area. Some of the many features choropleth maps can show include: Differences in a continent’s population density Percentage of a city’s population born overseas Access to safe water throughout the world
Topographic maps: Show natural features of an area: the height and slope of the land and the location of rivers, wetlands and vegetation The pattern of the contours provides information about the shape of the land Contour intervals show the difference in elevation represented by each contour line Topographic maps also show human features such as transport links, towns and farmhouses
Weather maps: Display the weather condition over particular areas of the earth at a stated time Show air pressure, wind direction and strength, and rainfall (if any) in the previous twenty-four hours Allow predictions of future weather to be made
Landuse maps: Show human activities/ how humans use the land, in a particular area
Political maps: Used in the study of political areas such as countries and local government areas Political maps can usually be identified by the following specific features. Political areas are usually shaded in different colours Name of each political area is given Boundaries of political areas are given a distinctive colour or symbol, such as a red line Names of places where administration is based are shown