Objective: Students will be able to understand how map scale and projections aid cartographers in making and

interpreting maps.
Do Now: Working with a partner answer questions 2- 4 based on the mental map you created for yesterday’s
homework.
Content Vocabulary
Scale Ratio or Fraction Scale Written Scale Graphic Scale
Goode Homolosine
Large – Scale Map Smale – Scale Map Projection
Projection
Robinson Projection Mercator Projection

Mini – Lesson: Close Reading – Map Scale and Projections

To make any map, a cartographer must make two decisions:
 How much of Earth’s surface to depict on the map (map scale).
 How to transfer a spherical Earth to a flat map (projection).

Map Scale
The first decision a cartographer faces is how much of Earth’s surface to depict on the map. Is it necessary to show
the entire globe, or just one continent, or a country, or a city? To make a scale model of the entire world, many
details must be omitted because there simply is not enough space. Conversely, if a map shows only a small portion of
Earth’s surface, such as a street map of a city, it can provide a wealth of detail about a particular place.

The map’s scale is the relationship between map units and the actual distance on Earth. Map scale is represented in
three way:
 Ratio or fraction scale gives the relationship as a
ratio, for example, 1:100,000 is that 1 unit on the
map equals 100,000 units on the ground.
 In a written scale units are expressed in a
convenient way, for example, “1 centimeter equals 1
kilometer.”
 A graphic scale is given by a scale bar showing
the distance represented on Earth’s surface.

The appropriate scale for a map depends on the information being portrayed. A map of a neighborhood, such as Figure
1-12c, may have a scale of 1:10,000, whereas a map of a city (Figure 1-12a) may have a scale of 1:1,000,000. One
inch represents about 1/6 mile on Figure 1-12c and 16 miles on Figure 1-12a.

At the scale of a small portion of Earth’s surface, such as a downtown area, a map provides a wealth of details about the
place. At the scale of the entire globe, a map must omit many details because of lack of space, but it can effectively
communicate processes and trends that affect everyone.

1. Define scale:

2. What is the advantage of a map which shows only a small portion of the earth’s surface – like a neighborhood –
that is, a large-scale map?

3. What advantage does a map which shows the entire globe, a small-scale map, have?

Projection
Maps are a planar (flat) representation of Earth’s curved surface. The scientific method of transferring locations on
Earth’s surface to a flat map is called projection. Earth’s spherical shape poses a challenge for cartographers because
drawing Earth on a flat piece of paper unavoidably produces some distortion. Cartographers have invented hundreds
of clever methods of producing flat maps, but none has produced perfect results. Earth is nearly a sphere and is
therefore only accurately represented on a globe. Thus, some distortion must result when using maps, especially at
small scales (continental or whole-Earth maps). Four types of distortion can result:
A. The shape of an area can be distorted, so that it appears more elongated or squat than it is in reality.
B. The distance between two points may become increased or decreased.
C. The relative size of different areas may be altered, so that one area may appear larger than another on a map
while it is in reality smaller.
D. The direction from one place to another can be distorted.

Most of the world maps in this book, Goode Homolosine projections which are, are equal area projections. The
 primary benefit of this type of projection is that the relative sizes of the landmasses on the map are the same as in
reality. The projection minimizes distortion in the shapes of most landmasses. Areas toward the North and South
poles—such as Greenland and Australia—become more distorted, but they are sparsely inhabited, so distorting their
shapes usually is not important. To largely preserve the size and shape of landmasses, however, the projection in
Figure 1-13a forces other distortions:
 The Eastern and Western hemispheres are separated into two pieces, a characteristic known as interruption.
 The meridians (the vertical lines), which in reality converge at the North and South poles, do not converge at
all on the map. Also, they do not form right angles with the parallels (the horizontal lines).

The Robinson projection (Figure 1-13b) is useful for displaying information across the oceans. Its major
disadvantage
is that by allocating space to the oceans, the land areas are much smaller than on interrupted maps of the same size.

The Mercator projection (Figure 1-13c) has several advantages: Shape is distorted very little, direction is
consistent,
and the map is rectangular. Its greatest disadvantage is that relative size is grossly distorted toward the poles,
making high-latitude places look much larger than they actually are.

4. When geographers convert the round Earth to a flat map, they use a projection. All projections have some
distortion (only a globe has none). List the four things that typically become distorted in various projections and
explain the distortion.

5. Three important projections are the Goode Homolosine, the Mercator and the Robinson. Complete the chart
below to compare their advantages and disadvantages.
Robinson
Goode Homolosine Mercator

Advantages

Disadvantages

Medial Summary: Answer the following questions based on your class notes and your knowledge of human
geography.

Compare the sizes of Greenland and South America on the three maps in Figure 1-13. Which of the two landmasses is
actually larger? How do you know?

Activity: Read the passage, draw your mental map, then answer the questions that follow.
Measure the distances on the map from of Europe from one location to another. Be as accurate as you can.
The scale is 1 cm.

x to y Distance on the map Actual distance in real life

Liverpool to Paris

London to Munich

Birmingham to Krakow

Liverpool to Milan

Copenhagen to Berlin

Amsterdam to Zagreb

Zurich to Budapest

Lyon to Torino

Cologne to Prague

Liverpool to Dublin

Glasgow to London

Summary / Evaluation: Review the answers to the questions. Any further questions?
Homework: Answer the following questions below based on your class notes and your knowledge of human
geography:

1. Scale is 4. A map projection may distort a continent, making it

A) the system used by geographers to transfer appear stretched in some areas and smashed in
locations from a globe to a map. others in order to
B) the spread of a phenomenon over a given area. A) distort the shapes of other continents.
C) the difference in elevation between two points B) distort the distances and relative sizes of countries
in an area. and continents.
D) the relationship between the length of an object C) depict a map that accurately represents a globe in
on a map and that feature on the landscape. every detail.
E) the ratio of the largest to smallest areas on a D) depict accurately the physical area of a country or
map. continent.
E) depict accurately the shape of that same continent.
2. 1:24,000 is an example of what kind of scale?
A) a bar line
B) a metric scale
5. If the scale of a map is 1:100,000, then 1 centimeter
C) a graphic scale
on the map represents ________ on Earth's surface.
D) a written scale
A) 1 kilometer
E) a ratio or fraction
B) 10 kilometers
C) 10,000 kilometers
3. A mathematical process for transferring locations D) 100,000 kilometers
from a globe to a flat map is a(n) E) 1,000 centimeters
A) distribution.
B) interruption.
C) rendition
D) scale.
E) projection. 6. Which of the following types of maps would have
the largest numeric scale?
A) world
B) continent
C) state
D) city
E) country