What is a map?
A map is a drawing of the Earth's surface, or a part of it, on a flat sheet. It is made smaller by a fixed ratio (the scale). It shows things as seen from straight above.
Cartography is the art and science of making maps. A person who makes maps is a cartographer.
A map is different from a sketch. A sketch is drawn from memory, without an exact scale. A map uses a scale and a projection.
A plan is a very large-scale drawing of a small area, like a house or a school.
Essentials of a map
- Title: says what the map shows and which area.
- Scale: the ratio between map distance and ground distance.
- Direction: usually a north arrow. North is at the top unless shown otherwise.
- Legend (key): explains the symbols and colours.
- Conventional signs and symbols: agreed signs for rivers, roads, wells, temples and so on.
- Map projection and grid: the method used to draw the curved grid of latitude and longitude on flat paper.
Many maps also give the source and date, because places change over time.
History of map making
Map making is one of the oldest skills.
- Earliest maps: people drew routes and land on clay tablets, cloth and rock.
- Ancient scholars: Greek thinkers such as Ptolemy used a grid of latitude and longitude. Indian texts divided the world into zones and described the Earth as round.
- Medieval period: Arab geographers such as Al-Idrisi drew improved world maps using travellers' reports.
- Age of exploration: sea voyages needed better maps; Mercator's projection (1569) helped sailors.
- Modern surveying: the Great Trigonometrical Survey measured India with triangles from 1802. The Survey of India (set up in 1767) still makes topographical maps.
- Today: aerial photos, satellites, GPS and computers (GIS) make maps quickly and accurately.
Types of maps by scale
Large-scale maps show small areas in great detail.
- Cadastral maps: show the boundaries of fields and plots of land. Governments use them for land records and tax. Scale is very large, like 1:4,000 for villages.
- Topographical maps: show relief, rivers, roads, settlements, forests in detail, like 1:50,000.
Small-scale maps show large areas with less detail.
- Wall maps: used in classrooms, larger than atlas pages.
- Atlas maps: show continents or countries at scales like 1:10,000,000 or smaller.
Remember: "large scale" means the scale is large (1 cm stands for a small ground distance), not that the area is large.
Types of maps by function
Physical (natural) maps show natural features:
- Relief maps (mountains, plateaus, plains)
- Geological maps (rocks)
- Climatic maps (temperature, rainfall, winds)
- Soil maps
- Natural vegetation maps
Cultural maps show human features:
- Political and administrative maps (not shown on this site)
- Population maps (density, growth)
- Economic maps (crops, minerals, industries)
- Transport maps (roads, railways, airways)
- Settlement maps
Uses of maps
- Finding places and planning a route.
- Measuring distance, direction and area.
- Planning roads, dams, towns and farms.
- Defence, disaster management and weather forecasts.
- Studying how things are spread over space, such as rain or people.
A geographer uses maps the way a scientist uses a microscope: they show patterns you cannot see standing on the ground.
Try it at home
Draw a map of your room from above. Add a title, a north arrow (use a phone compass), a scale like "1 cm = 20 cm", and a legend with symbols for bed, table and door. Count your essentials: do you have all six? Then try the last step of the 3D.
Key formulas and definitions
- Map = drawing of Earth on a flat surface, to scale, seen from above
- Essentials: Title, Scale, Direction, Legend, Symbols, Projection/Grid
- Large scale = small area, more detail
- Small scale = large area, less detail
Worked examples
1. A map shows the fields of a village with each plot number. Which type of map is it, and is it large or small scale?
It is a cadastral map. It shows small plots in detail, so it is a large-scale map.
2. You want a map to show rainfall across a whole continent. Physical or cultural? Large or small scale?
Rainfall is natural, so it is a physical (climatic) map. A whole continent needs a small-scale map.
3. A friend's map has roads and houses but no north arrow and no legend. What problems can happen?
Without a north arrow you cannot turn the map correctly to match the ground. Without a legend you cannot tell what each colour or symbol means (a red line could be a road or a railway).
4. Why is a sketch of your school route not a true map?
A sketch is drawn from memory without an exact scale or projection, so distances and directions are only rough. A map is drawn to a fixed scale.
Common mistakes
- Thinking "large-scale map" means a map of a large area. It is the opposite: a large-scale map shows a small area.
- Forgetting the north arrow or legend when drawing a map in the exam.
- Calling a rough sketch a map. A map must have a scale.
- Mixing up physical and cultural maps: soil and climate are physical; population and roads are cultural.