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Reading Maps

Knowing how to read a map is a foundational skill in social studies.
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Map Basics

Knowing how to read a map is a foundational skill in social studies. Perhaps the most essential tools in geography, maps are used in performing spatial analysis. They enable us to visualize distance, area, scale, and direction. Maps also may be used in conjunction with statistics to identify a wide variety of conditions-economic, political, demographic, resource distribution, etc.

While there are numerous potential items that can be shown on a map, to communicate clearly each map must show only a limited number of things. Teaching students to recognize and use these features lays the foundation for more advanced map use.

North on Top

Maps use north, south, east, and west to describe direction, but cartographers (mapmakers) generally orient their maps and globes with north at the top. There is a historical reason for this. Europeans who first explored beyond their own continent used maps. The North Star was their guide, and they naturally drew maps with their homeland at the top.
Latitude and Longitude
Maps use a grid of imaginary lines known as latitude and longitude. These lines help to identify the absolute location of any point on the Earth's surface. They are denoted by the symbols (°, ', ") and are called degrees, minutes, and seconds of arc (not of time). Northern and southern latitudes are calculated from zero degrees at the Equator to ninety at the northernmost and southernmost points.
Lines of longitude are measured from Greenwich, England for historical reasons. The north-south meridian that passes through the Royal Astronomical Observatory in Greenwich is the prime meridian. It divides the eastern hemisphere from the western hemisphere.
Scale
Because maps are drawn to represent large areas, mapmakers use scale. This is the relationship between the distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground. For example, one inch may represent ten miles.
Key
Cartographers use a key, or legend to explain the meaning of each of the symbols that they place on a map. The key usually shows miniature pictures of the symbols used on a map. The key also identifies the meaning of each of these symbols.

Maps for Many Purposes

Below is a list of some of well-known kinds of maps:

  • Topographic maps enable us to visualize the surface of an area. Mountains may be shown in shaded relief. Colors may indicate different levels of elevation.
  • Political maps identify national and regional boundaries, highlight capitals, and major cities. They may also show comparative statistics or election results through the use of colors or shading.
  • Road maps and other maps showing transportation routes are essential to people who are traveling in locations that they do not know well.
  • Weather maps are useful in tracking weather patterns for a wide variety of uses.
  • Maps that show resources, products, climate, population density, or other comparative information help us to better visualize information.

Map Projections

Students should be aware that drawing a three dimensional object, such as a sphere, on a flat surface presents some significant challenges. Such maps may include distortions of scale, distance, direction, and area. To minimize these distortions, cartographers use various projections, but each projection may introduce other errors. Nonetheless, different map projections are tools that enable us to better understand the geography of areas, regions, or the entire world. Here are a few well-known projections:
  • A conformal projection is one that represents the scale of the map the same in all directions. Lines of longitude and latitude intersect at right angles.
  • The Mercator projection has straight meridians (lines of longitude) and parallels of latitude that intersect at right angles.
  • The Lambert Conformal Conic projection distorts area and shape away from standard parallels. It is often used for maps of North America.
     

Putting It All Together

When students begin to read a map, encourage them to notice the key or legend. It will help them understand the important information on the map, check the scale and projection. Compare these features with other maps they have seen. Finally, ask themselves questions about the purpose of the map. What can be learned more readily from this visual representation than from simply reading a text on this topic?
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