CARTOGRAPHY SKILLS Mapmaking Social Studies 9 Mrs. Mactavish

REVIEW What three things do you need to be able to read a map?

REVIEW 1) Compass Rose 2) Scale 3) Key/Legend

1)COMPASS ROSE  Shows which direction is North, East, South and West on the map  Helps us understand where the map is in relation to the rest of the globe  Helps us in to decide which direction to travel to get from one place to another – important when using a compass/GPS device

SCALE  Maps are small representations of a big area (i.e. the EARTH!)  The scale shows us how the distance on the map relates to the distance on the Earth  Scale is usually found at the bottom of a map or in the Legend  There are different ways of representing the scale of a map  Representative Fraction (RF) or Ratio  Written Statement  Linear or Graphic Scale

REPRESENTATIVE FRACTION OR RATIO SCALE  Indicates how many units of measurement on the Earth are equal to one unit of measurement on the map  Does not use any specific unit (i.e. is not always centimetres or kilometres)  Is often expressed as 1:100,000 or 1/100,000  You would describe this as one unit o the map represents one hundred thousand units on the earth, or one centimetre on the map is equal to one hundred thousand centimetres on the earth

WRITTEN STATEMENT (OR VERBAL) SCALE  A written description of map distance  E.g., One centimetre on the map represents one kilometre on the earth

LINEAR OR GRAPHIC SCALE  A line graph marked with distance on the Earth  Map readers will need a ruler to find the scale of the map  Helpful on maps that will be photocopied because the scale ratios are not changed

LARGE SCALE VS SMALL SCALE MAPS Large scale = lots of detail over a smaller geographic area Small Scale = larger geographic area, but less detail Large scale has a larger fraction than a small scale map 1:25,000 = large scale 1: 250,000 = small scale

LEGENDS  Symbols used to represent features of the real world on a map  Simplifies the map to make it easier to read (less clutter)  Standard symbols are used by countries to make maps easy for people to understand  Typically, symbols are located in a box on the side of the map  Pictures, lines and colours are types of symbols

WHAT ELSE GOES ON A MAP?  Title – Tells the map reader what the map is about  Contour Lines – show places with the same elevation on a topographic map and shows how steep or gentle a slope is.  Border or neatline – shows where the map ends and keeps the map looking tidy  Labels – for bodies of water, roads, mountains, cities, etc.  See your handout for how a map is labeled correctly