Map Skills
What tells you what the map is about?
The Map Title
What are the lines that run east and west around the Earth called?
Lines of latitude (Parallels)
What does a map scale help you determine?
The actual distances between places on the ground.
What is Earth's movement as it spins on its axis called?
Rotation
What is a map projection?
A method for representing Earth's round surface on a flat map.
What part of a map explains the meaning of symbols and colors?
The map key or legend
What are the lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole called?
Lines of longitude (Meridians)
On a map, 1 inch represents 10 miles. If two cities are 3 inches apart on the map, how far apart are they in reality?
30 miles
What is Earth's movement around the Sun called?
Revolution
Why does every flat map of Earth have some distortion?
Because Earth's curved surface cannot be flattened without changing some aspect of it.
What map feature shows the four major directions: north, south, east, west?
A compass rose
What is the name of the line at 0 degrees latitude?
The Equator
A map has a scale of 1 cm = 20 km. Two cities are 5 cm apart. What is their actual distance?
100 km.
Approximately how long does it take Earth to rotate once on its axis?
24 Hours
Name one thing that can be distorted when Earth's surface is shown on a flat map.
Size, shape, distance, or direction
A map uses a small airplane symbol to represent an airport. Where would you look to find out what that symbol means?
The map key or legend
What is the name of the line at 0 degrees longitude?
The Prime Meridian
What large nation is one of the only countries to measure their distance in miles?
The United States of America
What causes day and night on Earth?
The Earth's rotation
What map projection has the most size distortion? A Mercator Projection or a Robinson Projection?
A Mercator Projection
A student looks at a map but doesn't know whether the map is showing population, climate, or political boundaries. What should the student check first?
The map title
A city is located at 35 degrees N, 120 degrees W. What two pieces of information does this coordinated tell you?
The city is 35 degrees north of the Equator and 120 degrees west of the Prime Meridian.
You measure 7 cm between two locations. The map scale is 1 cm = 50 km. How far apart are the locations?
350 km
Earth's axis is tilted. As Earth revolves around the Sun, what major effect does this tilt help produce?
A geographer needs a map that accurately shows the size of different countries. Should the geographer choose a projection designed to preserve area or one designed to preserve direction?
A projection designed to preserve area.