Map Types and Projections

Flashcards covering key concepts related to map types and projections.

Reference Maps

Show general information about things like boundaries, capitals, cities, rivers, mountains, roads, and highways.

Thematic Maps

Show patterns for a specific subject, including distribution of things, election results, and climate.

Choropleth Map

Uses various shades of one or more colors to show the location and distribution of spatial data.

Dot Maps

Show the specific location and distribution of information across the territory of the map.

Graduated Symbol Maps

Use symbols, shapes, or icons where the size indicates the amount of data in that area.

Isoline Maps

Show variations in data across space using lines that connect points of equal value, often used for elevation change.

Cartograms

Visually distort geographic areas to represent specific statistical data.

Mercator Projection

Maintains the correct shape of land but distorts their size; useful for oceanic navigation.

Goode’s Projection

Minimizes distortion of size and shape of land masses but cannot be used for oceanic travel.

Polar Projection

Accurately displays polar regions with realistic sizes of continents but increases distortion away from the poles.

Gail-Peters Projection

Accurately depicts the size of land masses but distorts their shapes.

Robinson Projection

Avoids extreme distortions by gently curving longitude lines, creating a visually appealing representation with most distortion at the poles.