1. Maybe you've used a world map to find the locations of different countries or of oceans or mountain ranges.

2. Maybe you've used a street map to figure out how to get from one place to another.

3. Or maybe you've used a map in the newspaper to see how people voted in the last election.

If you've used different kinds of maps, you know that maps can contain many different kinds of information and can have many different levels of detail.

1. Some maps show only major geographic features, such as rivers, lakes, oceans, or mountain ranges. They might not show cities at all, or might show them only as small dots.

2. Some maps show very detailed pictures of individual cities, with information about buildings, streets, parks, and other features.

3. Some maps show political boundaries between cities or between countries.

4. Some maps focus on other types of information: a map might show the contours of the earth, it might show how people voted in an election, or it might show how much rainfall different regions received or what types of crops they grow.

But, no matter what kind of information they contain, all maps share certain characteristics:

First, all maps use the four directions (North, South, East, West) to orient themselves. On a map, North is usually at the top of the page. If it's not, the map will tell you so.

Second, all maps are based on latitude and longitude to help pinpoint those four directions even further. Maps may not always show latitude and longitude lines, but these determine where things are in relation to each other. Want to know more about latitude and longitude?

Third, all maps have some type of scale. That is, they tell you the relationship between distance on the map and distance on the ground. A map might indicate 1:500, for instance, showing that one inch on the map equals 500 inches on land.

How do you use maps?

Study Questions:

1. Make a list of all the types of maps you have used in the last year. Think about street maps, maps in your textbooks, maps in magazines. You may want to use the Internet or browse through old news magazines or newspapers to spur your memory. See how many different types of maps you can list.

2. Become a cartographer (a mapmaker). Using graph paper, make a map of the route between your home and your school. You can use a street map to help, or you can use your memory of the route. Try to make your map as close to reality as you can.

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