Map Types and Elements

title

tells the main topic of the map

Key/Legend

explains the symbols on a map

compass rose

shows north on a map

cardinal directions

north, south, east, west

scale

how the distance on a map relates to distance on the Earth

grid

lines on a map that can be used to locate any place on the map

Longitude

Distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees

Latitude

distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees

orientation

shows where North is in relationship to the map

physical map

a map that shows land and water features

political map

A map that shows man-made features such as boundaries, countries, and cities.

thematic map

a map that emphasizes a single idea or a particular kind of information about an area, such as population, airline routes, spread of disease, or climate

Equator

an imaginary line drawn around the earth equally distant from both poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres and located at 0° latitude.

Prime Meridian

The meridian, designated at 0° longitude, which passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England and divides the earth into Eastern and Western hemispheres

hemisphere

a half of the earth, usually as divided into northern and southern halves by the equator, or into western and eastern halves by an imaginary line passing through the poles.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A system that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers.

Mercator Projection

A cylindrical map projection that is useful for navigation because it maintains accurate direction but has distortion in area that makes certain landmasses appear oversized.

Gall-Peters Projection

Map created to show the relative sizes of the earth's continents accurately (equal area), but distorts shape (stretched out)

Winkel Tripel Projection

best map projection for providing a balance between size and shape

map projection

a way of representing the spherical Earth on a flat surface

cartographer

a person who makes maps