Types of Maps
There are many different types of maps. Some maps are made to show specific information such as the physical features of a country or how a country is divided. These are commonly called specific purpose maps. General purpose maps show a variety of information about a place. Five types of maps are described below.
1. Physical or Relief Maps- This shows the height and shape of the land, and highlights physical features such as rivers, plains and mountains. It does not usually give information about how man uses the land because its purpose is to show the natural features of the place being represented.
2. Political Maps- This shows how a country is divided into administrative units such as parishes, countries, states or districts. The purpose of this map is to show the boundaries between two or more countries or between different parts of a country. Physical features are not shown on this type of map
3. Population Map- This shows the amount of people living in an area and where there people live (density and distribution). It is an example of a choropleth map, which is designed to show the concentration of people in particular areas and how people arrange their settlements. These maps are unlikely to show physical features.
4. Economic Map- This shows the resources of a place and how man uses these resources to make a living. An economic map may contain information about things such as mining, agriculture, tourism and manufacturing, and does not usually show physical features.
5. Climate Map- This shows the climate of a particular country or region. It specifically highlights the average rainfall and temperature conditions of particular areas and may also give information about prevailing wind (major winds blowing frequently in a particular area.
There are many other types of maps that give specific information, which the cartographer (the map maker) wishes to highlight. Two examples are Weather Maps and Geological Maps. Research to discover what these and other types of maps are all about.
Part of Map- Maps generally have the following parts: Title, Scale, Compass, key/legend and Border
Part of Map- Maps generally have the following parts: Title, Scale, Compass, key/legend and Border