Chapter 1

Map
Reading
 Chapter 1: Map Reading

What is a topographic map ?

• Large-scale map representing selected aspects of the
earth’s surface
• Shows both physical and human features

Components of a topographic map

• Title
• Grid lines
• Names of places
• Scale
• Direction
• Contours
• Legend and symbols
 Chapter 1: Map Reading

Title

Contour Symbols

Grid lines
Place
name

Scale

Some basic components of a topographic map

 Chapter 1: Map Reading

Grid lines
• Eastings – vertical lines that run from west to east
• Northings – horizontal lines that run from south to north
• Grid lines are numbered to provide the coordinates of
specific features on a map

Grid reference
• Set of digits formed using the grid values of eastings
and northings
• Defines a location on a map
• The more digits in a grid reference, the more precise
the location, e.g. a six-figure grid reference gives a
more accurate location than a four-figure grid reference
 Chapter 1: Map Reading

Four-figure grid reference

• Identifies a specific grid square
• First two digits = Value of the easting on the left of the
square
• Second two digits = Value of the northing at the bottom
of the square
32
Example:
The four-figure grid
31 reference for Point X is
6530.
X

30
65 66 67
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Six-figure grid reference

• Identifies a specific point in a grid square
• How: 32
1. Determine the four-figure grid
reference
2. Divide the space between the two
31
eastings of the grid square into ten
equal intervals
X
3. Count how many tenths the point is
from the left to right – add this 30
number after the first two digits of the 65 66 67
four-figure grid reference
4. Repeat Step 2 for the northings of the
grid square
Example:
5. Count how many tenths the point is
from the bottom up – add this number The six-figure grid
to the end of the grid reference reference for Point
X is 655305
 Chapter 1: Map Reading

Scale
• Shows what a certain distance on the map represents
on the land in the real world
• Three ways to indicate scale on a map:
1. Line scale
– E.g. 0 2 4 km

2. Word statement
– E.g. “1cm on the map equals 30km on the ground”

3. Representative fraction
– E.g. ‘1:50,000’ means that one unit on the map represents
50,000 units on the ground in the real world
 Chapter 1: Map Reading

Reading the straight-line distance between two points

1. Place a strip of paper on the

line between the two points

2. Mark the two points on the

edge of the paper strip

3. Place the marked edge of the

paper strip on the line scale

4. Read the distance between

the two points
 Chapter 1: Map Reading

Reading the length of a curved path

1. Place one end of a string at one end of the path to be measured
(point ‘C’)

2. Using the string, trace the curved path

3. Mark the end of the path on the string (point ‘D’)

4. Place the string on the line scale

5. Read the distance off the scale

 Chapter 1: Map Reading

Direction
• Two ways to describe the direction of a place
1. Using compass points
– Cardinal points of the compass: north, south, east, west
– Intercardinal points: northeast, southeast, southwest,
northwest

2. Using bearings
– Direction of a place is
expressed as an angle (in
degrees) clockwise from
the base direction (0)
– Base direction could be
grid north, magnetic north
or true north
 Chapter 1: Map Reading

Grid north
• Direction of the vertical grid lines (called eastings) on a
map

Magnetic north
• Direction of the magnetic
north pole

True north
• Direction of the geographic
north pole
 Chapter 1: Map Reading

Land elevation
1. Contours
– Lines on the map joining places with the same height
– The number on a contour line indicates the height that the line
represents

100
200

2. Spot heights
– Points on the map showing
the heights of hills 998
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3. Benchmarks
– Marked points of known elevation which serve as reference
points from which the height of other places may be established

4.38

4. Trigonometrical stations
– Points marked by metal discs mounted on stable foundations
such as concrete pillars
– Usually located on top of mountains or hills
– May be used as benchmarks for measuring elevation

480
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Recognising relief features

• The shape of contour lines and the spacing between
them show us the shape, height and slope of relief
features

A plateau A mountain Undulating relief

 Chapter 1: Map Reading

A gentle slope A stepped slope A steep slope

 Chapter 1: Map Reading

River features
• Topographic maps can give us some information on the
river features of an area
1. River source
– Point where a river originates
2. River mouth
– Point where a river ends
3. River course
– Path followed by a river
– Perennial course flows throughout the year
– Indefinite or seasonal course flows only during certain
seasons
4. Watershed
– Boundary between two drainage basins
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5. Drainage pattern
– Pattern formed by the rivers in a particular drainage basin

Dendritic pattern Trellis pattern

Centripetal pattern Radial pattern

 Chapter 1: Map Reading

Cross-sections
• Drawing cross-sections will help you identify relief
features
• How:
1. Draw a line (XY) across the map where the cross-section is to
be drawn.
 Chapter 1: Map Reading

2. Place a strip of paper on the

line XY. Moving from left to
right, mark each point on the
edge of the paper where XY
meets a contour.

3. On another piece of paper,

draw the horizontal and
vertical axes for the cross-
section. The horizontal axis
should be the length of XY.
Choose a suitable scale for
the vertical axis.
 Chapter 1: Map Reading
4. Place the marked edge of the paper
strip (from Step 2) along the
horizontal axis of the cross-section
graph. For each mark on the paper
strip, draw a vertical line up to the
equivalent height and mark off with
a dot.

5. Join all the dots with a

smooth curve to complete
the cross-section of XY.
 Chapter 1: Map Reading

Gradient
• Tells us how steep a slope is
• To calculate gradient:

Vertical difference
Gradient =
Horizontal distance

• A gradient of 1:25 means that for every horizontal

distance of 25 units covered, you would ascend one
unit