Reading a map: title, legend, scale and compass rose — 11–13
How to use a map's four tools to describe a route — on paper or on screen. Geography, 11–13 years.
The four elements of a map
A map has four tools for reading it. The title says what the map shows and where. The legend explains the symbols and colours. The scale links a distance on paper to the real distance. The compass rose shows where north is, so directions can be worked out. Lose one of them and you can still see something, but you no longer know exactly what, or how far.
Why a map needs rules
A map is a reduced picture of reality, and the person reading it usually was never at the place. So it needs agreed rules: what each symbol means, how much it was reduced, which way is north. These rules were built up over centuries, and they are why two different people can read the same map and arrive at the same place.
A case: measuring and describing a route
Step 1: read the title and check that the map shows the right area. Step 2: in the scale, 1 : 100 000 means 1 cm on the map is 100 000 cm in reality — that is, 1 km. Step 3: with a ruler, measure 3 cm from the station to the museum: that is 3 km. Step 4: with the compass rose, describe it: "From the station, go 3 km north to the museum."
The trap: a large scale is not a large area
It seems logical that a "large scale" shows a large area, but it is the other way round. A large scale, like 1 : 1 000, shows a small area in great detail — a street, a neighbourhood. A small scale, like 1 : 50 000 000, shows a huge area, such as the whole world, with little detail. Look at the fraction: 1/1 000 is bigger than 1/50 000 000.
Where you see this today: digital maps
Many maps today are digital. Google Earth shows satellite images and lets you measure distances. OpenStreetMap is an open map built by volunteers. Pordata gathers statistics about Portugal and shows them as tables, charts and maps. The same elements appear in all of them — scale, symbols, orientation — and it always pays to check where the data comes from and how recent it is.
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