Introduction And Difference Between Globe and Map

The Map
Introduction

A globe is a model of the earth, while a map is a drawing of the whole or part of the earth. Let us first compare these two:

Difference between globe and map:

Types of Maps

Types of Maps

You are going to visit a famous lake with your family, but don’t know the way to it. What will you do? Tick the options:

Keep asking people for directions.

Carry a tourist map.

Different types of maps are made to meet diverse needs. In this class, we shall tell you about two major types:

1. Political Maps: A political map depicts countries, states, cities, and towns, along with their precise political boundaries.

2. Physical Maps: A physical map shows the land features (like mountains, plains and plateaus), water bodies (like oceans, seas and rivers) etc.

Directions, Distance and Scale, Colours

Directions, Distance And Scale, Colours
Directions

The four cardinal directions are : East, West, North and South. The sun rises in the East, sets in the West, it is in the South at noon, which is opposite the North direction.

On a map :

North is to the top.

South is to the bottom

East is to the right.

West is to the left.

The meeting point of two directions is called a sub-direction.

These are : Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest.

Distance and Scale

accurately portrays the distances between various locations. To achieve this, a scale is utilized, which is the ratio of the ground distance to the map distance. In other words, a distance of one kilometre on the ground can be depicted as one centimetre or one inch on a map.

The scale is shown on the map to let people know what scale has been used. It can be

shown in two ways:

1. Statement Scale: We write the scale thus: 1 cm = 1 km.

2. Linear Scale: In it, a straight line is divided into equal parts, each part showing a particular distance on the ground:

To determine the actual distance on the ground, we can measure the distance on the map and calculate it based on the provided scale.

Colours

Normally, the following colour scheme is used on maps :

Blue: water bodies (ocean, seas, rivers, lakes etc.)

Brown: Highlands (mountains, high hills)

Yellow: not very high lands (low hills, plateaus)

Green: Lowland (plains, deserts)

Altitude or depth can be represented on a map using varying shades of colors. Lighter shades indicate low altitude or depth, while darker shades indicate higher altitude or depth. For instance, dark brown represents high mountains, while light brown represents low hills.

Signs and Symbols

Signs and Symbols

A map can include several landmarks, for which special signs and symbols are used.  These landmarks can be rivers, forests, railway lines, roads, cities, towns, dams, temples, tanks, dams etc. We can understand a place better with the help of these signs and symbols on the map.

Here are some signs and symbols used on maps. Some of them are used in the world uniformly. While making a map, you can use some signs of your own.