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Maps, on the other hand, can wreak havoc on the parallels and meridians. Some maps express scale as a ratio, such as 1:25,000. Most maps have a legend explaining their symbols, and many have a scale noting relationship between the size of the map and the size of the real world, such as 1 inch to 100 miles. On many, but not all, maps, north is at the top - other maps often include an arrow to indicate directions. Political maps tend to use similar symbols and type sizes to indicate borders, cities and other objects. Maps depict their subject matter from above and use lines and color to differentiate between regions.
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It can throw people when you try to use a different color to signify something like water." In addition, on physical maps, land masses are usually brown or tan, and vegetation is green. Turner explained, " used in cartography on political maps, on most maps is that the water is blue.
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xingmin07/Getty ImagesĮven though they can incorporate diverse sets of data, maps usually follow several basic conventions that help people make sense of them right away. This physical map of the world shows its terrain. As Turner explained, "Maps are more than about capitals and countries - it's really about how economics and climate and natural features, how all the different variables that make up a society relate to one another." A map showing communication costs in different parts of the world, for example, could help a nonprofit organization decide where to build a low-cost wireless network. People can also use specialized thematic maps to analyze trends and patterns in all kinds of data. A single map can show you all of the countries on a continent, their borders, their approximate populations and their primary imports and exports. This combination of locations and attributes makes it possible to put lots of information into a very small space. Thematic maps can also show extremely specialized information, such as the availability of internet access in different parts of the world. Examples of common themes are population density, land use, natural resources, gross domestic product (GDP) and climate. Thematic maps add information on a specific theme, or subject.Most political maps also include some physical features, like oceans, rivers and large lakes. Political maps display cultural information about countries, their borders and their major cities.Topographic maps, on the other hand, illustrate the land's shape and elevation using contour lines. Physical maps usually show differences in elevation through hypsometric tints, or variations in color.
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With a physical map, you can get a basic sense of what all or part of the planet looks like and what its physical features are. Physical maps illustrate landforms like mountains, deserts and lakes.It presents information in hopefully a way that is very easy to understand." As Ian Turner, senior cartographer at GeoNova, put it, "A map is a type of language. But with a map, all of the numbers, patterns and correlations are right in front of you. Learning about the physical features, imports, exports and population densities of different countries would take ages if you relied on written descriptions in a book. Or you could look at a map and get an instant grasp of the same information. If you wanted to get an idea of which dog breeds are most popular in different regions, you might spend days looking at lists and charts. They are representations of information that can describe nearly anything about the world. But maps can do more than help you figure out where you are and where you're going. Whether you're trying to get to the top of Mount Everest or to a friend's new home, a map can help you find your way. It's easy to think of maps as sets of visual directions. This political map of the world shows the borders of each country and its chief city or cities.