Geography- Map reading skills

Map Reading 101​

As we explore both World and United States history, it is critical that we have good map reading skills. This will help us understand connections between the various cultures, difficulties encountered as interactions occured, and ​what we now know the regions as.

Some, or all, of this might be a review, but the importance of understanding this will make it worth repeating.​

​Important Features of Maps

​Legend- Tells you what the symbols present on the map mean.

Compass- Tells you direction. Some will display North, South, East, and West, while others might simply show North, leaving you to understand where the other directions are. Rember that South is always opposite of North and that West and East will always read W-E.

Scale- The scale will help you understand distances between things on the map.

Inset- Most maps also have an inset. The inset is there to show you where the region of the map is located on a wider map. For instance, if the map was of Kentucky, the inset might show that Kentucky sits in North America.​

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Maps that might be encountered​

Political ​maps- Likely to be the most common map we see. Most will show boundaries of countries, empires, or other large blocks of territories. They often show physical features of the region, but these details will be secondary to the other information most of the time.

​Physical maps- These maps will show the "lay of the land." Mountains, rivers, lakes, and other important physical features will be displayed. When would this sort of map help you understand an event or region better?

Population Density maps- These maps use different colors to show the amount of people within a given region.

Other maps- Road maps might display road systems across the land, while navigation maps show routes taken while traveling on water. Topographic maps are more detailed versions of physical maps that show in great detail the contours of the terrain.​

​Political

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​Physical

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Population

Density

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