Types of Maps

Types of maps include reference maps and thematic maps.

Reference Map
Displays boundaries, names, and features of geographic areas.
Example: Map of Louisville or World Map

Thematic Map
Emphasizes a specific theme or topic, key in Human Geography.

• Cartogram: Distorts land area to reflect changes in value.
  Example: Population cartogram shows China and India with larger areas for higher population.
• Choropleth Map: Uses shades to indicate value variations; darker shades show higher values.
  Mnemonic: Think "CHORO" for colors.
• Dot Map: Dots represent values; more dots indicate higher values.
  Example: Each dot represents 200 farms.
• Graduated Symbol Map: Uses symbols of varying size to indicate values; larger symbols represent higher values.
  Example: Larger symbols for areas with higher literacy rates in the US.
• Isoline Maps: Connect places sharing a common value, often used for language usage (isogloss).

Reference: Textbook pages 40-43