GEOGRAPHY ROCKS

75°N60°N

75°W

60°W

45°W

30°W

15°W

15°E

30°E

45°E

60°E 75

°E

45°N30°N15°N

15°S30°S

45°S

30°E

45°E

60°E

75°E

90°E

105°

E

120°

E13

5°E

75°N

60°N

45°N

30°N

15°N

15°S

30°S 45°S

0°(Equator) 0º (Equator)

0º (

Prim

e M

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ian)

75°N60°N

75°W

60°W

45°W

30°W

15°W

15°E

30°E

45°E

60°E 75

°E

45°N30°N15°N

15°S30°S

45°S

30°E

45°E

60°E

75°E

90°E

105°

E

120°

E13

5°E

75°N

90°N (North Pole)

60°N

45°N

30°N

15°N

15°S

30°S 45°S

Latitude

Longitude

0°(Equator) 0º (Equator)

0º (

Prim

e M

erid

ian)

SCALE AND DIRECTION

The scale on a map can be shown as a fraction, as words, or as a line or bar. It relates distance on the map to distance in the real world. Sometimes the scale identifies the type of map projec-tion. Maps may include an arrow or compass rose to indicate north on the map.

Finding Your Way Around Every map has a story to tell, but first you have to know how to read one. Maps represent information by using a language of symbols. Knowing how to read these symbols provides access to a wide range of information. Look at the scale and compass rose or arrow to understand distance and direction (see box below).

To find out what each symbol on a map means, you must use the key. It’s your secret decoder—identifying information by each symbol on the map.

LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE

Latitude and longitude lines (above) help us determine locations on Earth. Every place on Earth has a special address called abso-lute location. Imaginary lines called lines of latitude run west to east, parallel to the Equator. These lines measure distance in degrees north or south from the Equator (0° latitude) to the North Pole (90°N) or to

the South Pole (90°S). One degree of lati-tude is approximately 70 miles (113 km).

Lines of longitude run north to south, meeting at the Poles. These lines measure distance in degrees east or west from 0° longitude (prime meridian) to 180° lon-gitude. The prime meridian runs through Greenwich, England.

Finding Your Way Around

900 kilometers

600 miles0

0

Azimuthal Equidistant Projection

SCALE 1:4,283,0001 CENTIMETER = 42.8 KILOMETERS OR 1 INCH = 67.6 MILES

STATUTE MILES

KILOMETERS

0 25 50 100 150 200

0 25 50 100 150 200

Representative FractionVerbal ScaleNorth Arrow

Bar Scale

Map Projection

HOMEWORK HELP

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