MAP READING

Sample of a map

1. What is a Map ?-it could be anything from a sketch map for a visitor to find your school to a detailed map of a town and etc.

-it allows us to look at the location and surrounding area and environment of a place.

Compasses

Used to show the direction of places on maps.

2 types of Direction:

A. MAIN

DIRECTION

B. CARDINAL

DIRECTION

2 types :

TIP: You can remember where the points of the compass are by using one of this rhyme:

Never Eat Shredded Wheat

CARDINAL DIRECTION

north-east, south-east,

south-west or north-west

MAIN DIRECTION:

north, east, south and west

ACTIVITY

Pink house

train

airplane

river

White house

School bus

ACTIVITY: Give the direction of the following pictures:

Pink house TrainAirplane RiverWhite house School Bus

Why not try drawing your own map to show a friend the route from your house to school, showing buildings and landmarks you pass on the way?

Question:

Map with Symbols Map key

Inset – small maps in detailed view

Grid lines - Help you to pinpoint an exact location anywhere on the map by giving a unique number known as a grid reference.

How do grid references help me to find places?

A four-figure grid reference is a handy way of identifying any square on a map.

a.

      

   

      

   

      

   

01 02 03 04 11

12

13

14

How can you describe where these places are using a Grid?

To find the grid square that each of the symbols are found in –

Always Remember :

Go along the corridor and then up the stairs

ACROSS AND THEN UP

Along = 02

Up = 11

= 02 11

ACTIVITY

ACTIVITY:Work out the four-figure grid references for the following examples.

A.______ B. ______C. _____

01 02 03 04 11

12

13

14

Answer these questions in your books

Is in square _____

Is in square _____

Is in square _____

Is in square _____

Is in square _____

Is in square _____

b. Six-figure grid references - to pinpoint an exact place on a map

62__33__ - 625333

Now imagine this square is divided up into100 tiny squares with 10 squares alongeach side. Still remembering to go along thecorridor and up the stairs, work out the extranumbers you need and put them into yourfour-figure grid reference like this:625 333

ACTIVITY

Work out the six-figure grid references for the following examples.

ACTIVITY:

What is scale?- shows how much you would have to enlarge your map to get the actual size of the piece of land you are looking at.

Maps are made at different scales for different purposes.

For example, yourmap has a scale of1:25 000, which meansthat every 1 cm on themap represents25 000 of those same units of measurementon the ground (for example, 25 000 cm = 250metres).

The 1:25 000 scale mapis very useful for walking, but if you use it in acar you will quickly drive off the edge! On theother hand, maps at 1:250 000 scale (notethe extra zero) show lots more land but in farless detail.

How do we measure distance?

Here is a way of doing it:

You can measure between two points by

using a piece of thin string.

Now that you have a distance in centimetres marked on your string you can find out the realndistance. You can do this in a couple of ways:

a. By eyePlace string against the scale bar on the map. This is usually at the foot of the map sheet.

b. By measuringMeasure your distance on your string with a ruler.

How are hills andmountains shown on a map?

The height and shape of the ground is shown on 1:25 000 scale maps by brown contour lines.

A contour is a line drawn on a map that joins points of equal height above sea level.

The diagram shows the link between the shape of a hill and the contours representing it on a map. Another way of thinking about contour lines is as a tide mark left by the sea as the tide goes out, leaving a line every 5 meters.

TIP: Remember contour numbering reads up hill – in other words the top of the number is uphill and the bottom is downhill. Also remember the closer contour lines are together, the steeper the slope. The examples below illustrate this:

Recording your Position

Lines of Longitude

Lines of Latitude

Recording your Position First we state its

Latitude followed by its Longitude in degrees & minutes

A= 20’N 56’WB= 17’S 17’WC= 45’N 15’E

Thank you for listeningand

participating

God bless us all!