MAP SKILLS NOTES CONTENT
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What are map skills?
Maps are diagrammatic representations of the world, showing physical features like
roads, rivers, mountains and more. People who create maps are cartographers, and
they help us navigate the world.
Map skills help us read maps and ascertain information from their symbols and scales.
They’re essential for directions, recognising the different features of a landscape and
more.
Learning map skills is an important element of Geography for KS2 children. This page
outlines a range of map skills that will enrich their Geography lessons.
What are some different types of map?
There are different types of maps that serve different purposes. For example:
Road maps display roads and transport links to help drivers get from one place to
another.
Topographic maps show the shape of the Earth’s surface, using contour lines,
colour gradients and shaded relief. They’re used for hunters and hikers, as well as
geologists and surveyors.
Geologic maps show the rocks and sediment below the surface of a geographic
area, and are used to plan construction projects.
Weather maps are used to show the forecasted temperatures, precipitation and so
on. They appear frequently in newspapers and on television and can help people
plan ahead.
Maps in a geographical atlas show how land is used, as well as things like
population density and political boundaries between states and nations.
Map skills require familiarity with:
Scale
Compass directions
Grid references
Map's key
Title
Scale
Scales help users calculate distance, height, size and dimensions of features on a map.
Scales are often written as a ratio between the size of phenomena in real life and its
relative representation on a map. For example, on a 1:100,000 map, one cm on the
map represents 100,000 cm (or 1 km) in real life.
The most common maps in the UK are Ordnance Survey maps. These come in several
scales:
Travel maps have a scale of 1:125,000 and are used by drivers travelling long
distances.
Landranger maps are 1:50,000 and are helpful to drivers going shorter distances.
Explorer maps are 1:25,000 and are generally used by walkers.
Landplan maps are 1:10,000. They show individual streets clearly and might be
used by town planners.
Types of scales
As well as ratio scales, there are also line scales and word scales.
Line Scale
Using a line scale on a map is as easy as using a ruler. Line scales show
measurements in kilometres (km) and the measurements on ruler are in centimetres
(cm). To use a line scale, measure the distance between two points on the map using a
ruler. Next, check the line scale to convert your measurement to km. If the distance you
measured on the map is greater than the length of your line scale, you will need to do a
quick calculation to find the answer.
Word scales
Word scales are shown like this:
Let’s say we measure the distance on a map between two cities and the measurement
is 4 cm. We then multiply that measurement by 3 to calculate that the real distance
between thetwo places. 12 km would be the actual distance if you walked between the
two cities.
Compass directions
Compasses have been used for over 2000 years, and understanding compass
directions is an essential map skill.
There are four main points of the compass: north, east, south and west. These are
called compass points. It’s helpful to use phrases to remember the order, for
example: Never Eat Silly Worms, or Naughty Elephants Squirt Water.
For a more accurate reading, we can add another four points to the compass in
between the four we have already outlined. This gives us north-east, south-east, south-
west and north-west. The compass in the image below is oriented towards north-east.
Grid references
Ordnance Survey maps are covered in a series of blue grid lines. These numbered
squares help users identify a specific point on a map with a four or six-figure grid
reference.
The vertical lines are called eastings, as they increase in value the further you travel
east.
The horizontal lines are called northings, as their value increases the further north you
move.
Four figure grid references
Using the 2 digits of the easting and the 2 digits of the northing creates a four-figure grid
reference.
This is the reference for the bottom left corner of a square on the map, and makes it
easier to search the map for features.
Remember: Always start with the eastings first (use the phrase ‘along the corridor and
up the stairs’ to get the right order).
Six figure grid references
We can make references even more precise by adding an extra number to both the
easting and northing. This helps pinpoint a more accurate location for the feature you’re
looking for.
Imagine each square is actually a 10x10 grid. If the feature is halfway along the easting
or northing then the extra number will be 5.
This extra number helps to pinpoint a feature to a place within 100 m on the map.
Key/Legend
How do we definelegend in geography terms? A map key or legend helps us
understand the information on the map. It describes what different symbols represent,
so we can identify things like roads, buildings and features of a landscape. To define
legend in geography further, we can look at an example. Below is an example of a map
key for roads.
Title
The title for a map will give you an insight into what information it stores. It can include
information on location, demographics and other areas of interest that’ll make the map
easier to read.
