How do maps help us understand the world
Maps do more than just helping us get from one place to another. They help us understand Earth, its physical processes and features , how they shape human activity and vice versa. When data is organized by location, geographic patterns emerge that enable us to have a better understanding of how systems work and interact with one another.
What is a Map?
A map is a flat top-view drawing of a place. A map may be a drawing of the entire earth or a part of it. The human brain can remember maps better than written text as we register images faster in our brain.
World Map Features
The world map offers us knowledge about the surface of the earth. A world map is created with dimension and scale that represents the Earth’s surface. Several techniques are used to describe the maps of the world with differing goals.
The created world map from the European renaissance provides knowledge of the earth’s surface that occurs rapidly. Maps of the world are focused on either political or physical features.
- Political map: Depicts human concession and territorial boundaries.
- Physical map: Shows the geographical aspects like soil type, mountains, flora, and fauna.
- Geographical map: Displays elements of the earth’s surface, rocks, and lines.
- Choropleth map: Shows the intensity and colour that differentiates economics, provinces, and demographic status.
Features of Maps That Help Us Understand the World Better
Maps distort the geographic location, features, directions, and distances of the earth.
Scale
Each map has a scale that can be simple or complex. A single-scale map has a simple scale, while multi-scale maps have elaborate scales. Modern-day maps have benefited tremendously from measuring technology and map projects that have resulted in accurate, reliable mapping scales.
For example, if a place has a flat surface without mountains or hills, a horizontal scale will draw with no slope. The map’s scale can be detected in two ways:
Statement of the Scale
Statement of the scale is a demonstration of the ratio between the map versus the earth’s size.
For example, 1:100,000 simply shows that each unit of the face on the map is equal to 100,000 units on the earth’s face.
Scale Bar
A scale bar on a world map is a simple tool that helps you understand the real-world distances represented on the map. It usually looks like a line or bar, often divided into segments and is marked with units of measurement, typically kilometers or miles.
For example, if a scale bar shows that 1 inch on the map equals 1000 miles in the real world, you can use this to roughly measure distances between locations on the map.
Generalisation
Generalization is the process of simplifying and reducing the complexity of geographic information to make it more understandable and suitable for a particular scale or purpose.
For example:
- A small town might be represented by a dot instead of showing its actual shape
- A winding river might be drawn as a simpler, smoother line
- Small islands might be omitted entirely
- The coastline might be smoothed out, removing minor inlets and bays