Map Skills Unit
Note taking unit
Introduction
● To learn about the Earth, we are going to learn about two
geographic tools you can use….globes and maps.
Globe
● A globe is a round model of the planet Earth as if seeing it from
outer space. A globe is round and shows the continents and
oceans.
● Globes show the shape, lands, and directions as they
truly relate to one another.
Parts of a Globe
Every globe has several important features
● Continents & Oceans
● Poles
● Equator
● Prime Meridian
● Zero Point
● Hemispheres
● Lines of latitude and longitude
Each feature serves a purpose...let’s check them out!
Continents & Oceans
The continents and oceans show the land and
water coverage of the world.
Poles
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The North and South Poles are the points where
the Earth rotates on its Axis.
All lines of longitude meet at the Poles
The North Pole is not part of any country but in the
international waters of the Arctic Ocean.
The South Pole is located on the continent of
Antarctica
Equator
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The equator is the imaginary line that runs east and west around the exact middle of the Earth.
It is found at 0° latitude
Prime Meridian
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Is the imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole through Greenwich,
England.
It is found at 0° longitude.
This imaginary line runs through the United Kingdom, France, Spain, western Africa, and
Antarctica.
Zero Point
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Zero
Point is the spot where the equator
and prime meridian intersect.
This is where all degrees of latitude and
longitude begin.
Hemispheres
●
The equator and prime
meridian divide the Earth
into four hemispheres,
the Northern, Southern,
Eastern, and Western
●
The equator divides
the Northern &
Southern
hemispheres.
The prime meridian
divides the Eastern &
Western hemispheres.
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Latitude and Longitude
● On many maps you see
crisscrossing lines with numbers by
them. These lines and numbers
form a grid system that allows us
to describe the absolute, or exact,
location of any place on Earth.
● Together, lines of latitude and
longitude form a grid system called the
coordinate system.
Latitude
The lines running east to west around
the Earth are called lines of
latitude. They measure degrees
north and south of the equator.
Longitude
● The lines running north
to south around the
Earth are called lines
of longitude.
They measure degrees
east and west of the
Prime Meridian.
Map
● A map is a model of the
Earth shown on a flat
surface. Maps are useful
because you can carry
them with you.
● Let’s look at a map
more closely…
Elements of a map
Every map has six important elements:
● Title
● Map Key/Legend
● Compass Rose
● Scale
● Inset Map
● Locator
Each element has a purpose...let’s check it out!
Map Title
● The map title tells you the
purpose of the map.
● It also informs you what
type of map you are
reading.
● It tells you the subject of
the map and helps you
identify what type of map
you are studying
Map Key/Legend
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The legend or map key will tell you
what the symbols on a map mean.
For example, the map key might tell
you that a dot stands for a city.
The key might also indicate that a
black line represents a state border.
It might show you how to identify a
river with a blue line.
Compass Rose
● The compass rose is a
direction marker, that displays
the cardinal and intermediate
directions on a map.
○ Cardinal directions - North,
South, East, & West
○ Intermediate directions Northeast, Northwest,
Southeast, Southwest
Scale
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The map scale is used to
show the relationship of
distance shown on the map to
real distance on the Earth.
The scale is shown in both
standard and metric
measurements and show
distance between objects on
the map.
Inset Map
● An inset map is a
smaller map that shows
more detail of a section
on a larger map
Locator
● The locator is a
small map or globe
that appears on
maps and show
where the map is
located on Earth
See if you can identify the parts of the
1
map:
2
6
3
5
4
Types of Maps
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Different cartographers (map-makers) use different
map projections.
●
Another reason for this difference is that maps can
be created to represent different features of the same
places.
Political Map
Maps that show countries,
states, cities, and capitals
are known as political maps.
● On political maps boundary
lines show the extent of an
area’s territory or political
influence.
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Physical Map
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Physical maps
show physical
features of the
Earth such as,
mountains,
rivers, oceans,
and forests.
Vegetation Map
● Vegetation Maps
show the different
types of plants that
are in an area.
Historical Map
● Maps that show parts
of the world as they
were in the past are
known as Historical
Maps.
Contour Map
● A Contour Map is used to
show varying elevations of
a place.
● These maps use a series
of circles to show the
contour and elevation.