G-6: MAPS

• A map (मानचित्र) is a representation or a drawing of the earth’s surface or a part of it drawn on a flat surface according to a scale. Atlases are of various sizes, and measurements drawn on different scales.

• When many maps are put together we get an Atlas. Atlases are of various sizes, and measurements drawn on different scales

1. Physical Maps:  Maps showing natural features of the earth such as mountains, plateaus, plains, rivers, oceans, etc. are called physical or relief maps.
2. Political Maps: Maps showing cities, towns villages, and different countries and states of the world with their boundaries are called political maps.
3. Thematic Maps: Some maps focus on specific information; such as road maps, rainfall maps, maps showing the distribution of forests, industries, etc. are known as thematic maps. Suitable titles are given on the basis of information provided in these maps.

Components of Maps

1. Distance: maps are drawn to reduced scales. But this reduction is done very carefully so that the distance between the places is real by using the scale. Scale is the ratio between the actual distance on the ground and the distance shown on the map.
   When large areas like continents or countries are to be shown on paper, then we use a small scale. For example, 5 cm. on the map shows 500 km. of the ground. It is called a small-scale map.  
   When a small area like a village or a town is to be shown on paper, then we use a large scale that is 5 cm. on the map shows 500 meters only on the ground. It is called a large-scale map. Large-scale maps give more information than small-scale maps. 
   
   
2. Direction: Most maps contain an arrow marked with the letter ‘N’ at the upper right-hand corner. This arrow shows the north direction. It is called the North Line. There are four major directions, North (N), South (S), East (E) and West (W). They are called cardinal points. The other four intermediate directions are north-east (NE), south-east (SE), south-west (SW), and north-west (NW). A compass is an instrument used to find out the main directions. Its magnetic needle always points in the north-south direction.
   
   
3. Symbol:  Maps cannot be drawn as the actual shape and size of different features such as buildings, roads, bridges, trees, railway lines or a well. So, they are shown by using certain letters, shades, colours, pictures and lines These symbols give a lot of information in a limited space. With the use of these symbols, maps can be drawn easily and are simple to read.
    There is an international agreement regarding the use of these symbols. These are called conventional symbols. Various colours are used for the same purpose. For example, generally blue is used for showing water bodies, brown for mountain, yellow for plateau and green is used for plains. 
   
   

Sketch Map

A sketch is a drawing mainly based on memory and spot observation and not to scale. Sometimes a rough drawing is required of an area to tell where a particular place is located with respect to other places.

Plan

A plan is a drawing of a small area on a large scale. A large-scale map gives lot of information, but there are certain things which we may sometimes want to know for example the length and breadth of a room, which can’t be shown in a map.