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.