Map Skills Everything you need to know about How to Read a Map!!

Before we get started we need to know one thing… What is GEOGRAPHY??? Geography is the study of the Earth's surface, atmosphere, and people. Geography Song Geography Song video

Globes Help Us Understand Our Planet Globes help us understand the shape of our home planet, EARTH. Globes and Earth are the same shape. Do you know what shape they are? They are both shaped like a SPHERE. Despite their usefulness, globes have many disadvantages as well.

Disadvantages of Globes The biggest disadvantage is that globes represent the entire Earth. Since the Earth is so big, globes will always be a small scale model of the Earth. This means that it is difficult to show very much detail on a globe. Only the large objects can be shown, such as the continents, a few lakes, and rivers. Smaller lakes, streams, and hills simply cannot be shown. Another disadvantage of a globe is that their awkward size and shape makes them difficult to carry around. Imagine trying to fit a globe inside of a glove box, or in your back pocket.

Suppose we want to find a buried treasure. The only person who knows where the treasure is, cannot travel with us. How will we find the treasure? The individual who knows where the treasure is could describe to us in great detail how to get to and find the treasure. What if we forget what they told us?? We could have them write the description down for us. That way, we will not forget it. Having these instructions in hand, we can easily refer back to them as needed. What would happen if we got lost? The written directions won’t help us.

A map solves both of these problems.

Maps Are Not Perfect Maps have been used for hundreds of years. As technology has improved, so have the quality and accuracy of maps. Ancient maps were usually drawn by explorers. It was impossible at that time for anyone to leave the Earth, and look down at the huge continents below. All they could do was walk around the different land formations, and then do their best to draw what they thought the land probably looked like.

The Key To Understanding Maps Maps can be drawn to represent a variety of information. What are some things you might see on a map? The objects on a map are represented using symbols. A symbol is a picture on the map that represents something in the real world. Understanding these symbols requires the use of a key. Maps use a key, or legend to explain the meaning of each of the symbols used in the map. These keys usually show a small picture of each of the symbols used on the map, along with a written description of the meaning of each of these symbols.

What is a Compass Rose?? A compass rose is a tool that shows directions on a map. The compass rose has four main directions: North, South, East, and West. You can use the compass rose to give or follow directions.

Longitude and Latitude Longitude and Latitude Song Longitude and Latitude are lines that help you find places on a map or globe. The equator is an imaginary line of latitude The Prime Meridian is an imaginary line of longitude Just think- lat – flat and long is longggg