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Map Essentials. Parts of a Map. There are 5 main parts of a map: The Title The Compass Rose The Map Key or Legend The Scale Longitude/Latitude Lines (Grid System). The Title. The title of the map indicates what a map is about, the first part you should look at.
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Parts of a Map • There are 5 main parts of a map: • The Title • The Compass Rose • The Map Key or Legend • The Scale • Longitude/Latitude Lines (Grid System)
The Title • The title of the map indicates what a map is about, the first part you should look at. • Example: The title of this map is “British Empire – 1900.”
The Compass Rose • The compass rose is the symbol on a map that shows the 4 cardinal directions (North, South, East, and West) and the 4 intermediate directions (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest.). It acts as a guide to directions on a map. NW NE SW SE
The Map Key or Legend • The map key or legend is the part of the map that explains what symbols and colors on the map represent. • Example: On this map, the red line represents the Trans-Siberian railroad, the black line is a national boundary, and a black dot is a city.
The Map Key • On this map, different colors are used to show different things. • Example: the lavender color shows where the Han people live. The red color shows where the Mao people live.
The Scale • The scale is gives distances in miles and kilometers. • Example: On this map, 1 inch is equal to 100 miles.
Types of Maps • Political Maps • Physical Maps • Thematic Maps
Types of Maps • There are many different kinds of maps, depending on what the map is to be used for. • Examples: • A map showing the 50 states of the United States • A road map of New Hampshire • A map of Rockmart Middle School
Political Maps • Political maps show man-made boundaries between countries and states. • The capital city of each country is designated by a circle with a star inside.
Physical Maps • Physical maps show natural features such as rivers, lakes, oceans, plateaus, mountains, and peninsulas. • Elevation (height of the land above sea level) is also shown with the use of different colors.
Thematic Maps • A thematic map is a type of map especially designed to show a particular theme connected with a specific geographic area. • Examples of thematic maps are: climate maps, vegetation maps, natural resource maps, etc.
Climate Map • A climate map uses various colors to show different types of climate (the weather throughout the year.) • Example: On this map the dark green color represents a tropical wet climate. Blue is a marine climate
Vegetation Maps • Vegetation is the natural plant life of the area. • Example: On this map turquoise area is coniferous (evergreen) forest. The beige area is desert scrub.
Natural Resource Map • A natural resource map uses symbols to show where resources such as minerals and plant products are located. • Example: The cart with a “c” on it represents coal. The coiled wire represents copper.
Population Distribution Map • In this map, different colors are used to show the population density (the number of people per square mile.) Symbols are used to show the population of major cities. • Example: The purple areas have a high population density (over 520 people per square mile – very crowded!) A represents a city with over 5 million people.
Road Map • Road maps are used for traveling. • Names and types of highways and roads are indicated. • Distances between cities are labeled on the map also. • Example: The cities of Joshua and Kitson are 14 miles apart and are connected by Highway 31.
Historical Maps • Historical maps are used to show where things were at a certain time in history. • Example: On this map, the gold area is the extent of Asoka’s Empire. The orange arrows show the path of the Aryan invasion.
Finding Location on a Map • To find locations on a map, a grid system is used. This can either be a grid with numbers and letters on a street map, or the latitude and longitude system used for larger areas.
Using a Grid • This type of grid is called a map index. • There are letters down the left and numbers across the top. • Example: To locate Miles City,go to C and then 2. You should find it in the square where the two meet.
Using latitude and longitude • To find locations for larger areas such as countries or continents, latitude and longitude are used. • This is a giant grid where degrees are used.
Latitude • The equator is 0° (degrees), and is the starting place for measuring latitude, the distance north or south of the equator. • Example: A city on this line is said to be located at 40° S.
Longitude • The Prime Meridian is 0° (degrees) and is the starting place of measuring longitude, the distance east or west of this. • Example: A city on this line is said to be located at 20° W.
Put them both together! • By using lines of latitude and longitude, you can give the absolute location of any place on earth. • Example: A city here is located at 20° S, 60° W.
The End! This is a revised power point based on an original by Mrs. Ancelet