5 Basic Parts of Any Map

Explanation: The science of map making is called Cartography. The study and practice of map making is called Cartography. It can further be explained as the art and science of making map. It includes analysing the history of maps along with printing, distribution and sales.

A person who constructs maps is called a cartographer. The job of a cartographer involves knowledge of science, artistry, and technology. The name derives from the practice of cartography, which is the study and creation of maps.

Cartography or mapmaking is the study and practice of making maps. Rather than merely drawing maps the cartographic process is concerned with data manipulation, data capture, image processing and visual display.

A cartographer is a person who creates maps, whether they’re of the world, the local bus routes, or buried pirate treasure. It comes to us from the Latin word charta-, which means “tablet or leaf of paper,” and the Greek word graphein, meaning to write or draw.

• Map Title or Heading. The title, also called the heading, of a map is typically found at the top of the map.
• Map Key or Legend. All the map symbols are defined in the map key, or map legend.
• Scale Indicator.
• Grid.
• Compass Rose or North Arrow.

Perhaps the most influential of map makers, the Flemish geographer, Gerard Mercator (1512- 1594) is famous for developing a map projection in which mathematical calculations translated the 3D world onto a 2D surface.

They are- title, direction, legend(symbols), north areas, distance(scale), labels, grids and index, citation – which make it easier for people like us to understand the basic components of maps.

Father of Geography: Other Popular Geographers

Climatology is the study of climate and how it changes over time. This science helps people better understand the atmospheric conditions that cause weather patterns and temperature changes over time.

Maps contain lots of information. Most maps will have the five following things: a Title, a Legend, a Grid, a Compass Rose to indicate direction, and a Scale.

Some maps have all eight elements while other maps may only contain a few of them.

• Data Frame. The data frame is the portion of the map that displays the data layers.
• Legend. The legend serves as the decoder for the symbology in the data frame.
• Title.
• North Arrow.
• Scale.
• Citation.

There are three Components of Maps – distance, direction and symbol.

A map is a representation or a drawing of the surface of the earth or a part of it drawn on a flat surface according to a scale. On a broad scale, a plan is a drawing of a small region. Maps offer accurate descriptions of a greater portion of the earth. A plan provides limited data about a certain small region.

A map is a representation or a drawing of the earth’s surface, or a part of it, on a flat surface, according to a scale. It could be hand drawn or printed. It helps us identify the places and locations within an area helping us to navigate from one place to another.

Terms in this set (4)

• Title. tells you what the map is about.
• Map Key/Legend. explains the lines symbols, and colors used on a map.
• Scale Bar. a measuring line that help you find distance on the map.
• Compass Rose. tells you where the north, south, east, and west are on a map.

According to the ICSM (Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping), there are five different types of maps: General Reference, Topographical, Thematic, Navigation Charts and Cadastral Maps and Plans.

A map is a representation or a drawing of the earth’s surface or a part of it drawn on a flat surface according to a scale. A plan is a drawing of a small area on a large scale.

They show us a location of a place, village or a town. They also help us in showing physical features of the earth or the countries such as mountains, rivers etc. They also show the political boundaries of states, nations or the continents.

Symbols: It is impossible to draw actual shape and size of different features like buildings, roads, trees, railway lines or a well on a map, so we use various symbols to show these features. Symbols give much information in a limited space. With the help of these symbols, we can draw maps and read them easily.

Maps can be used to show finer details of the earth including its physical features such as mountains, plains, rivers, oceans, etc., and the political divisions of the earth like countries, states, cities, villages, etc.

There are four major domains of the Earth – lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.

Answer: Symbols are used in maps to represent or indicate real objects or characteristics. Maps are a reduced representation of the world and so symbols are used to make sure that a person easily reads a map while correlating them with the real world.

Maps represent the real world on a much smaller scale. They help you travel from one location to another. They help you organize information. They help you figure out where you are and how to get where you want to go.

Maps present information about the world in a simple, visual way. They teach about the world by showing sizes and shapes of countries, locations of features, and distances between places. Maps can show distributions of things over Earth, such as settlement patterns.

Qualities of a good map

• Clear idea of what the map is trying to demonstrate.
• Easy to interpret legend or key.
• Good use of symbols to demonstrate a clear point.
• Good sources/metadata.
• Clear features, not overcrowded.

A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes. The word “map” comes from the medieval Latin Mappa mundi, wherein mappa meant napkin or cloth and mundi the world.