Geography: Map Skills

1. Geography: Map Skills

2. Orientation Compass Rose North Which way is up? Actually, which way is north? NE NW Maps will usually give you a way to determine orientation. This may be a single direction arrow or a compass rose. East West SE A Compass rose tells you two things SW Cardinal Directions South Intermediate Directions

3. Map Scale The map scale tells you the relationship between the distance on the map and the true distance on the surface of the Earth. To calculate distance measure the distance on the map and then place on the scale to measure the true difference Be careful to make sure you have the correct unit. Many maps have both miles and kilometers

4. Comparing maps of different scale Different maps need to show different levels of detail. Sometimes you need to show a lot detail for a small area, and sometimes you need to show little detail of a larger area. A Large-Scale Map shows a small area with large details. It is good for detailed looks at small areas A Small-Scale Map shows a large area with small details. It is good for relative locations

5. Latitude and Longitude Latitude Lines of latitude are measured north and south of the equator. The Equator is zero (0) degrees of latitude. Other lines of latitude are called parallels because they are parallel to the equator. 90ºN Lines of latitude are measured from zero to 90 degrees north latitude . . . 0º and from zero to 90 degrees south latitude 90ºS

6. Longitude 0º Lines of Longitude are called Meridians The Prime Meridian, or Greenwich Meridian is zero (0) degrees Longitude. All other lines of longitude are measured east or west of the Prime Meridian. Longitude is measured from 0-180º east and west from the Prime Meridian These lines meet at 180º , this is called the International Date Line. This line is both east and west and marks to point where calendar days change.

7. The Global Grid: Using Latitude and Longitude Coordinates Every measurement using latitude and longitude has a set of coordinates. One coordinate will be for degrees latitude north or south of the equator Ex: 30º North lat. is this line 30º South lat. is this line The other coordinate will be degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian Ex 30 º East Longitude is this line 30 º West Longitude is this line Put the two together and you have a location Ex: 30 ºN, 30 ºE Latitude should always be listed first. Your north/south will be before your east/west coordinate.

8. Find the Latitude and Longitude of the following cities Alice Springs 22ºS, 133ºE Sydney 34ºS, 150ºE Darwin 14ºS, 131ºE Which city is closest to 20ºS Latitude? La Grange

9. Map Projection Whenever we attempt to take a round globe and make it flat, we run into a problem. It is impossible to take a round Earth and make it look flat without stretching or “messing up” part of the earth. This part that gets messed up is called Distortion There are several ways that a map can be distorted: Area: The size of the landmasses change Shape: The shape of the landmasses change Distance: The distances between the landmasses change Direction: The directions between the landmasses change

10. Mercator Projection http://rd.dlese.org/T=view&ID=DLESE-000-000-005-766*http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/rfl/web/antarctica/mercator.html The Mercator Projection is a cylindrical projection It is distorted greatly at the poles and is least distorted near the equator. This navigation is useful for naval (ship) navigation because the directions are accurate.

11. Polar Projection The Polar map projection is a planar projection The major problem with this projection is that it does not show all of the earth at one time. It is useful for airplane navigation because distance is shown correctly

12. Robinson Projection The Robinson Projection is a compromise projection It minimizes distortion It is used most often for Data Representation because it has minimal distortion.

13. Interrupted Projection An Interrupted Projection trades large distortions in areas deemed less important in order minimize distortions in key areas

14. Different Types of Maps There are many different types of maps to show different types of information Physical maps Physical maps show physical features using shading, relief, or different colors.

15. Political Maps Political Maps show political features such as national boundaries and borders. The maps may be black and white, or they may use color to show different countries. These maps may also change over time as political borders change. Europe After WWII. The Cold War Europe After the break up of the Soviet Union Europe Before WWII

16. Special Purpose Maps are designed to show a specific type of information. Special Purpose Maps World Religions This map shows how the various religions of the world are distributed. World Languages This map show how the various official languages of the world are distributed

17. Population Maps Population Distribution Population distribution shows how the population of areas is spread out. Population Density Population Density tells how many people are concentrated in one square mile or square kilometer of an area

18. Economic Activity Map An Economic Activity Map show how countries use their resources to produce goods and services Where is most of the manufacturing take place in China? In the East What is the main economic activity in Western China? Nomadic Herding

19. Vegetation Maps A Natural Vegetation maps show what plants grow in areas that have not been altered significantly by human activity. Vegetation is closely tied to climate Climate Maps A climate map shows the climactic characteristics of a region. Remember weather is different from climate. Weather is daily, climate is over the long term.

20. Contour Maps Contour maps, or topographic maps use isolines to connect areas of equal elevation. Isolines can also be used on weather maps to show areas of the same temperature or air pressure.