0
Maps are used to navigate, and they often symbolize different landmarks (railroads, rivers, cities(large adn small), as well as forests, hills, highways, interstates, camping areas, dirt roads and a host of possible objects).
It would be extremly diffucult to represent each every item that a map may cover, as well as cluttering up the map. So the planners come up with simply symbols that they use to represent something.
For example, a forest may be represented by a shaded green area.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoThe specific details shown on a map key will depend on the map type. For example topographical maps may display both man made and natural surface features such as roads, rivers, canals, tunnels and cuttings, as well as buildings, churches and areas of interest (sites of ancient battlefields etc.).
They may also show the boundaries between different administrative areas or areas of local government, counties and countries. All these objects will have to be symbolised and appear in the map key.
As there are a very large number of potential objects on a map they clearly all can't be listed here. As such, please see the example of a topographical map key as produced by the British Ordnance Survey in the related links section for more information.
More specialised maps may include other information. For example Geological map symbols may show the strike, dip and plunge of geological strata, the contacts between different rock types or the presence of faults or folds. Please see related links for an example of symbols used from the British Geological Survey (exhaustive, but technical - as its purely a list without explanation) or from the US Geological Survey (intended as a useful introduction).
This is merely an introduction as this is a very diverse topic.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoA map key shows the importance of the map. For example, on a Physical Map, you can use the map key to find the national capital or other countries.
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoA map key, also sometimes called a map legend, is the section on a map that explains what the symbols used on the map mean, or represent.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoA map key is a little section of a map to indicate certain locations and the symbols they represent.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoit is a key in the map that tells you what in the map is what
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What are four parts of a map?
the four parts of a map are the map key the scale/scale barcompos rose and cardinal direction its called a compass rose
What is the purpose of a KEY and SCALE on a map?
The key, or legend, is a list of symbols and their meaning using on the map. The scale is what a measure on the map represents a distance on the ground. For instance: 1:50 000 (a scale of one to fifty-thousand) means 1 centimetre on the map is actually 50,000 centimetres on the ground.
What does every map must have?
it need a compass rose,a map key,a scale,and a title. A grid and a frame around it.
What is a ruler on printed on a map used to convert distances on the map to actual ground distances?
The map key or scale.
What is one inch on a map scale?
It depends on each map. It should show up in the key.
What is the key on the map that tells distance on a map?
This is known as the scale.
What is the language of map?
the language of a map is a key or a scale that tells about what is shown in the map.
What is the language of a map?
the language of a map is a key or a scale that tells about what is shown in the map.
What are the four basic of a map?
map key, map symbols, map scale, map title
What is another word for map scale?
key
Scale of a map?
Whatever the key, in the corner or side of the map says.
What are four parts of a map?
the four parts of a map are the map key the scale/scale barcompos rose and cardinal direction its called a compass rose
What are key components of a map?
Map components are the components of a map! Map components are the components of a map! key components of a map are what makes up a map like the map key the symbols that stand for something.
What is the purpose of a map key and a map scale?
The key, or legend, is a list of symbols and their meaning using on the map. The scale is what a measure on the map represents a distance on the ground. For instance: 1:50 000 (a scale of one to fifty-thousand) means 1 centimetre on the map is actually 50,000 centimetres on the ground.
What is the purpose of a KEY and SCALE on a map?
The key, or legend, is a list of symbols and their meaning using on the map. The scale is what a measure on the map represents a distance on the ground. For instance: 1:50 000 (a scale of one to fifty-thousand) means 1 centimetre on the map is actually 50,000 centimetres on the ground.
What does every map must have?
it need a compass rose,a map key,a scale,and a title. A grid and a frame around it.
What is the ruler printed on a map used to convert distances on the map to the actual ground distances?
The map key or scale.
