Understanding Maps: Types, Elements, and Scales

Posted on Dec 15, 2024 in Design and Engineering

Understanding Maps

A map is a graphic and metric representation of a piece of land, usually on a two-dimensional surface, but can also be spherical, as in globes. The metric property of a map means that it must be possible to take measurements of distances, angles, or surfaces and obtain an approximately accurate result.

Current Map Types

  • Map to lost margin
    • Administrativopp Map
  • Analíticop Map
  • Anamorphic Map
  • Auxiliary Map
  • Adjacent auxiliary Map
    • Bathymetric map
    • Base map
    • Base map
    • Cadastral map
    • Key Map:
    • Continental Map
  • Corocromático Map
  • Chorographic Map
  • Choropleth map
  • Current Map
  • Map dimensions
  • Map Grid.
  • Bathymetric contours map
  • Contour Map
  • Qualitative Map
  • Map Quantitative
  • Dasimétrico Map
  • Roadmap:
  • Star Map:
  • Railway Map:
  • Map of flows:
  • Map Zones:
  • Frequency Map:
  • Map of zones:
  • Map of time zones
  • Intensities Map
  • Isopleth map
  • Map of the Moon:
  • Map lines:
  • Map airlines:
  • Map of flow lines:
  • Map shipping lines:
  • Mercator map:
  • Normal map
  • Map orientation:
  • Map of slopes:
  • Forecast map
  • Map points:
  • Location map:
  • Surface map
  • Bathymetric Map of inks:
  • Hypsometric map inks:
  • Relative topography map
  • Sky Map:
  • World Map:
  • Relief map
  • Weather Map:
    • Weather map elevation:
    • Surface Weather Map
  • Densimeter Map:
  • Map derived:
  • Diagrammatic map:
    • Diagrammatic map of bars:
    • Diagrammatic map of squares:
  • Educational Map:
  • Black and white map
  • Map text
  • Greyscale:
  • Map in perspective:
  • Relief map:
  • School Map:
  • Sketch map:
  • Statistical map
  • Map exaggerated
  • Map Fax:
  • Great map:
  • Phenological map:
  • Physical map:
  • Physiographic map:
  • Map out of text:
  • General map:
  • Geological map:
  • Geomorphological map:
  • Geopolitical map:
  • Hydrographic map:
  • Hypsometric map:
  • Historic Map:
  • Illustrated Map:
  • Incunable Map:
  • Map Independent
  • Map Index:
  • Map inventory:
  • Roadmap:
  • Hieroglyphic Map:
  • MindMap:
  • Mining map:
  • Map monochrome:
  • Morfográfico Map:
  • Morphological map:
  • Morphometric map:
  • Wall map:
  • Map dumb
  • National map:
  • Map number:
  • Official Map:
  • Original Map:
  • Relief map:
  • Pictorial map:
  • Pictorial map of the relief:
  • Planimetric map:
  • Map Folding:
  • Rainfall Map:
  • Polychrome Map:
  • Political Map:
  • Map primitive
  • Main Map:
  • Regional map:
  • Map overview:
  • Synthetic map:
  • Thematic map:
  • Topographic map
  • National topographic map:
  • Transparent map:
  • Tourist Map:
  • Urbanop Map

Basic Elements of a Map

The main elements of a map are the legend and scale.

A map can contain large amounts of information. For easy reading, the legend should reflect a system of arbitrary symbols or agreements and must be developed using colors properly. Many of these symbols are used so often that they are accepted by all and are easily understandable. Thus, in general, cities and villages are marked with dots, squares, or shaded areas. The courses and bodies of water are printed in blue, and border policies are usually represented by colored stripes or solid or discontinuous lines.

The cartographer can, however, design a variety of symbols to suit different needs. For example, you can mark an item as a symbol of the presence of 10,000 head of livestock, or you can use two crossed hammers to indicate the location of a mine.

As it is impossible to map the same dimensions as the actual area, the scale is used. The scale indicates that the map is an approximation and shows the number of times the actual area has been reduced in size. It is a fundamental element in maps and can appear in two forms: numeric and graphic.

The numerical scale is represented in figures, for example, 1:100,000, indicating that one unit of measurement on the map (e.g., 1 cm) represents 100,000 of the same units on Earth’s surface (i.e., 1 km in the same example). Most maps indicate the scale at the margin and are often accompanied by a scale line graph, which is a divided segment that shows the length on the map of land units. At times, the end of the bar has a subdivision to enable the user to measure distances more accurately.

In function of the scale, there is talk of large-scale maps and small-scale maps. The former have a small denominator (e.g., 1:10,000 or 1:30) and higher levels of detail and are closer to the actual sizes because they are reduced less. City plans are large-scale maps. Small-scale maps have the largest denominator (e.g., 1:200,000) and produce fewer details and are more general.