Map Skills

Maps, Maps and More Maps

History of Maps

Hundreds of years ago, people would only draw maps of places that they had been.

If they didn’t know of a place or had an empty location on a map, they often filled the space with monsters or people from myths.

Cartographers (Mapmakers) give a much more detailed and accurate representation of the Earth.

GPS (Global Positioning System)

Globes vs. Maps

Globe = Three dimensional and shows actual shape, but difficult to carry around

Maps = More practical, but only shows the Earth in two dimensions = not accurate

Map DistortionWhen a globe is transformed into a map, it becomes distorted.

Distortion = change in accuracy in shape and distances

In order for a map to show a flat representation of a curved Earth, it would need to be peeled like an orange and cut along the lines of latitude – making it difficult to read.

Types of Maps

General Reference Show natural and man-made featuresUsed to locate a specific place

2 Types of General Reference Maps Physical and Political Maps

Physical Maps

Landforms

Rivers, Lakes

Mountains, Valleys

Plains, Plateaus

Elevation

Political Maps

State Borders

Capitals

Major Cities

Roadways

Population

Thematic Maps

Focus on one specific theme or idea Population Map Climate Map Time Zone Maps

Map Projections

A different way of showing Earth’s curved surface on a flat map.

Projection maps make places look bigger or smaller in relation to other places.

Two main types of projection maps.Robinson Projection and Mercator Projection

Robinson Projection

Most accurate projection of the Earth

Has distortions around the edges of the map

Mercator Projection

Used for over 400 years as the primary map of Earth

Conformal map – shows correct shapes but not true distances or sizes