Unit 2, Lesson 8 - Types of Maps

Miss Davis is taking the class to see a movie. You get to pick the movie. What are we going to see? What do you do to find out what movie to go see?

Watch movie trailers
○Read movie review
○Ask a friend
○Visit a Theater
○Visit a Streaming platform
○Visit a Movie website

Movies and Maps

​All of these ways are different ways to choose a movie. All of these ways give you information in a different way. Maps are the same way.

What is the Purpose of a Map?

Different maps have different purposes and provide different information.

1. Political Map: shows humanmade features

   1. borders, roads, cities, voting districts, etc.

2. Physical Map: Shows natural features

   1. Mountains, bodies of water, canyons, etc.

3. Thematic Map: shows information about a certain theme or idea across an area

   1. Favorite sports teams, weather patterns, religions, best ice cream in PA, etc.

Political Maps

Borders Between Countinents

Borders between Counties

Borders Between Countries

Borders Between Cities

Political Maps can show areas on different scales

(Small Scale = shows a large area of land, at a distance)

(Large Scale = shows a small area of land, up close)

Let’s Take a Look at Political Map

Map Scale: shows the distance on a map compared to the distance in the real world

●
Map Locator: tells which part of Earth
the map shows

Road Maps are a type of Political Maps
because roads are human-made features

Physical Maps

1. Physical Maps can be small or large scale.
   2. Cartographers (mapmakers) show the most important features on the map
   3. Map Colors and Textures represent the landscape on the map

Sometimes, maps can include
physical features and political
information

Physical Maps: shows natural features, such
of mountains, plains, bodies of waters, etc.

Elevation

Elevation: how high above sea level the
land is
•Elevation is shown on a map in
different colors

The higher in elevation the change
in colors in the Legend.

Thematic Map: information about a
certain theme, or idea, across an
area

•Color or shading can show differences
in information
•Symbols represent specific information
on a map
•Text will explain the theme of the map

Thematic Maps

Cartograms: a thematic map that
changes the size of land masses
based on the specific theme
shown

Cartograms