Chapter – 4 Maps

Globe v/s Maps

• A globe can be useful when we want to study the earth as a whole.
  
  
• & The advantage of the globe is that it promotes visual accuracy.
  
  
• But, when we want to study only a part of the earth, as about our country, states, districts, towns and villages, it is of little help.
  
  
• In such a situation we use maps.
  

What is a Map?

• A map is a visual representation of an entire area or a part of an area, typically represented on a flat surface.
  
  
• Maps attempt to represent various things, like political boundaries, physical features, roads, topography, population, climates, natural resources and economic activities.
  
  
• But remember it is impossible to flatten a round shape completely.
  

What is an Atlas?

• We find that maps are useful to us for various purposes.
  
  
• Some maps show a small area and a few facts and some contain as many facts as a big book.
  
  
• An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or a region of Earth.
  
  
• Atlases have traditionally been bound into a book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats.
  
  
• Atlases give more information than globe.
  

Different types of Maps

• PHYSICAL MAPS
  
  
• POLITICAL MAPS
  
  
• THEMATIC MAPS
  
  
• TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS
  
  
• CLIMATIC MAPS
  
  
• ECONOMIC MAPS

What is a Physical Map?

• Maps showing natural features of the earth such as mountains, plateaus, plains, rivers, oceans etc. Are called physical or relief maps.
  
  
• The purpose of the physical map is to show features of geography such as mountains, soil type or land use etc…
  
  
• An example of a physical map is an aerial view of a country showing the forests in green, the mountains in gray, the streams in blue and the oceans in deep blue.
  

What is a Political Map?

• A political map is a map that shows the political boundaries of particular areas.
  
  
• Political maps are designed to show governmental boundaries of countries, states, the location of major cities, and they usually include significant bodies of water.
  
  
• An example of a political map is one that shows the borders of India and the location of the state capitals.

What is a Thematic Map?

• A thematic map is a map that focuses on a specific theme or subject area.
  
  
• These maps focus on specific information; such as road maps, rainfall maps, maps showing distribution of forests, industries or any particular report etc.
  
  
• We can take an example of a thematic map of countries affected by Covid-19

Components of Maps

• Distance
  
  
• Direction
  
  
• Symbol
  

Distance & Scale

• we can say maps are drawn to reduce scales. But this is done very carefully so that the distance between the places is real.
  
  
• Scale is the ratio between the actual distance on the ground and the distance shown on the map.
  
  
• We use small scale map to measure large areas like continents and countries and large scale map to measure small areas like villages or towns.
  

Directions in Map

• Maps contain a letter on the top right corner ‘N’ with an arrow upwards.
  
  
• This arrow shows the north direction. It is called the north line.
  
  
• Once you get to North, you can find out other directions easily.
  
  
• There are four major directions, North, South, East and West.
  
  
• They are called cardinal points(E,W,N,S).
  

Find a Direction with Compass

• A compass is an instrument used for navigation and orientation that shows direction relative to the geographic cardinal directions.
  
  
• It’s a magnetic needle that always points towards north-south direction.

Symbols of Map

• Symbol is the third important component of a map. Symbols give a lot of information in a limited space.
  
  
• With the use of these symbols, maps can be drawn easily and are simple to read.
  
  
• Maps have a universal language that can be understood by all.
  
  
• There is an international agreement regarding the use of these symbols.
  
  
• These are called conventional symbols.

A sketch Map & A Plan

SKETCH

A rough drawing drawn without any scale is called a sketch map.
A sketch is a drawing mainly based on memory.

PLAN

Plans are detailed and refer to the final draft someone has on something (may also be a drawing). A plan is a drawing of a small area on a large scale.