The 8 elements of a map: what they are and what they are for

A map can be defined from a classical point of view as a document that represents a relationship between humans and space. At the same time it delimits the field of action of the person who consults it in a three-dimensional context, a map transmits a message about any point of interest located on its surface.

It can also represent an evaluation of distances, orientations, landforms, distribution of elements, political groups, and much more. When the human being orders the environment, it can use the objective parameters and concepts abstracts that he wishes for it and, for this reason, maps as different as one geopolitical and another of the relief.

Without fear of being wrong, we can affirm that there are more than 50 types of maps (and surely more than 100). Anything that can be captured in a 2D or 3D environment and reports information of interest, will or has ever been part of a cartographic representation. Today we come to show you the 8 elements of a map, well in the correct representation of the environment and the formation of subjective entities is, in part, the key to the development and expansion of our species

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What is a map?

A map, as we have said in previous lines, is a simplified graphical representation of a territory with metric properties on a two-dimensional surface (generally) that can be flat, spherical and even polyhedral. The properties depend on each map and what you want to represent on it, but there are a number of common elements that make it up.

Before starting with the typical elements of a map, we see it interesting to summarize the types of these cartographic instruments in a brief way. Go for it.

1. According to the scale of work

A small-scale map, counterintuitive as it may sound, is one that represents large areas of the Earth. It is so named because the level of detail is small, since the scale is usually approximately 1: 100,000 in these cases. When obtaining such a general image, it is necessary to take into account the curvature of the Earth and other physical and geographical properties of the same. Examples of these maps are the world maps or those representing countries, for example.

On the other hand, a large-scale map is one with an approximate 1: 10,000. There is a great level of detail, and it is often used to represent cities and other elements. From a scale of 1: 2,000, it is not necessary to take into account the sphericity of the Earth.

2. According to its usefulness

Maps can be topographical and thematic. The first are those that represent the main elements that make up a specific segment of the earth's surface (communication routes, population centers, water resources and more), while thematic maps focus on a parameter of interest, adapting their entire format to represent it with the greatest skill and simplicity possible.

What are the elements of a map?

Once we have drawn the general concept of the map and what it implies, we are ready to show you the 8 elements that make up a map. Go for it.

1. Map cover

Above all, when we talk about fold-out maps, it is necessary that they present a cover that report all basic information when taking a quick glance. This cover must contain the official name of the map series, initials that identify it and the organization that has published it, among other things.

2. Accessory information

In any self-respecting map, its back cover should include a series of accessory data that puts the information that has been provided in context. For example, charts of administrative divisions and lists of political terms into which the represented land is divided (towns, capitals, etc.) are helpful.

3. Scale

Perhaps the most important element of a map, since the representation of the entire Earth has nothing to do with that of a city: among other things, one must take into account the sphericity of the Earth and the other not. The scale can be defined as the ratio of proportion between the actual dimensions of an object and those of the drawing that represents it.

If a scale is 1: 20,000, it means that one centimeter of the map is representing 20,000 centimeters in real three-dimensional space. There are different types of scales: natural, reduction and amplification. We list them briefly:

• Natural scale: when the physical size represented in the plane coincides with reality.
• Reduction scale: when the physical size of the plane is smaller than in reality. As you can imagine, these are the ones used when creating maps.
• Scale of magnification: just the opposite. What is captured on the map is amplified, when you want to see very small details.

On the reduction scale, the denominator is always higher than the numerator (1: 20,000, for example). To know the real measurement represented on the map, you have to multiply the distance from the map (2.5 cm) by the denominator. In this case, 2.5 cm on a map represents 50,000 cm in reality.

4. Legend

Perhaps the second most important element of the map, since it is useless to represent elements with pictures if the reader will never understand them. In cartography, it is known as a legend to the explanation that the author provides about the symbols and colors that make up the map.

The location of the legend is standardized: in the lower area on the right margin of the map, boxed on a white background to facilitate its reading and distinguish it from the piece cartographic. The usual symbols that must be explained in the legends are those that represent rivers, roads, railways, routes national buildings and human buildings of interest, such as churches, airports, government headquarters and hospitals, example.

5. Cartographic projection

We enter a little more complex terrain. Projection on a map is a system that establishes the relationship between the points on the curved surface of the Earth and those on the flat surface of the paper. As we have said previously, this reference system is essential on maps that are small-scale.

Anyway, things get more difficult if we take into account that our planet is not a perfect sphere, but an irregular ellipsoid. For this reason, it is impossible to represent a spherical area on a two-dimensional map without producing deformations or empty areas. The projections try to solve this problem as much as possible.

6. Geographical coordinates

Coordinates are a reference system that allows humans to locate anything present on Earth using a language of numbers, letters or symbols. The most used are those of longitude and latitude, that is, the angle between the reference meridian and the meridian that passes through this point and the angle between the equatorial plane and the line through this point and the center of the Earth, respectively.

7. Geodesic vertices

It is also often helpful to include on the map a list of geodetic vertices that appear on the plotted terrain. Although it may seem like a somewhat difficult term to understand, a geodesic vertex is a exact marked point indicating a position in a triangulation net. Surely, if you like mountain routes, you have seen some of them on the top of a rock without realizing it.

8. Compass

Historically, the compass with cardinal points has been used to locate the map in the three-dimensional environment. It is essential to know in which direction things are, that is, locate every point as far as North, South, East and West are concerned.

Resume

Making a map has much more complexity and merit than you might initially expect. You not only have to think about how to properly represent a three-dimensional space on paper, but about symbols, arrangements and, in some cases, even the axis of the Earth itself.

Of course, it is a process that requires excellent knowledge in physics, mathematics and geometry. Cartography is an art, in short. Surely now, every time you consult a map (whether physical or digital), you will see it with slightly different eyes.