This document provides revision material for map skills. It covers topics such as understanding map scales, grid references, measuring distances, interpreting relief, land use, settlement patterns, and different types of maps including choropleth, dot maps and aerial photographs. Students are advised on techniques for answering exam questions that require comparing locations and describing patterns and distributions visible on maps.

1. MAP SKILLS REVISION PART 1

2. ACCESS INFORMATION POINT

6. USING A MAP KEY Map use a series of symbols to indicate features of the landscape. In the examination you will be given a key to the symbols. Study this lots at home. You are not expected to know it off be heart but a good general understanding of some of the key features will help you save time in the exam. Take care with the following symbols that are often confused.

9. GRID REFERENCES

10. 4-figure grid references

11. 4-figure grid references

12. 6-figure grid references

13. 6-figure grid references

14. COMPASS DIRECTIONS The minimum you should know is the eight point compass although it would be better to know the 16 point compass shown here.

17. Step 2 Repeat this process until you reach your destination

18. Step 3 You should be left with a series of marks along the edge of your paper. You can now place the sheet against the scale bar on your map. The last mark you made will tell you the real distance you need to travel

19. Describing Human & Physical Features from Maps

20. RELIEF My goodness, I am quite RELIEVED I got to the top Relief means the height and shape of the land. I like to remember it by thinking about how relieved I am when I get to the top. – This associates it with land height and shape. Take care with the spelling though.

21. DRAINAGE This is the surface water features such as:- Rivers – drawn as blue line but not to be confused with motorways!!! Lakes – Looks like a large blue puddle Marsh-

22. VEGETATION This includes the obvious green wooded areas but look out for which means rough grassland. On the OS 1:25 000 map vegetation is shown in more detail – check the symbols key carefully Rough Grassland Coniferous Trees Non Coniferous Trees

23. Vegetation

24. Rough Grassland Coniferous Woodland Non Coniferous

25. LAND USE When asked what the land use is you must explain what the land is USED for. In this case depending on which grid square you can see a variety of land uses e.g. a golf course, residential areas, lakes used for recreation, Roads, Allotments and many more.

26. SETTLEMENT This includes:- Its location – Where is it? Its shape – (linear, star shaped, nucleated) Its pattern – (nucleated, dispersed or evenly spread)

27. PATTERNS OF COMMUNICATION This includes:- Canals Railways Roads don’t forget to know the difference between A roads, Motorways, B Roads, Rough Tracks. Look at your OS key carefully

28. River Motorway

30. Four Figure Grid Reference 7877 Four Figure Grid Reference 6677

31. 7877 6677 RELIEF RELIEF LAND USES LAND USES COMPARE

34. ANALYSING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS As well as Ordnance Survey maps you will also be given a photograph of part of the area shown on an OS map. The first thing to do is make sure you orientate your photograph correctly so you know exactly which part of the map is shown. Lets do this now for Reading What are the key points to look at?

35. Y X Z Look for key features on the map to find out where it is on the OS map then use the OS map to identify the features. For this example the stadium is easy to see as is the roads and shape of the fields

38. A CHECK LIST TO HELP YOU TO DESCRIBE FEATURES ON A MAP

39. Includes settlement, vegetation and communications but also industry, recreational areas and agriculture Site – height, slope, landform, water supply, resources Situation – relate site to relief and drainage and other settlements Route focus, bridging point Shape – linear or star shaped, dispersed, nucleated Land Use Settlement Types, Direction Landforms followed or avoided Influence of settlement Woodland – location, amount, plantations or natural woodland Rough Pasture – location, amount Communications Vegetation Number of rivers Direction of flow Width Straight or winding Tributaries Human influence – straightening Lakes, marshes or floodplains Contour patterns Landforms Steepness of slopes Heights (general height, maximum, lowers) Valleys – number, shape, gradient, Drainage Relief

42. TYPES OF MAPS YOU WILL HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO READ

43. Dot Maps Dot maps show the distribution of actual numbers of items. In geography they are Mainly used to show population distribution. Above one dot equals 1 million people. The map overall gives a good impression of the world population distributions but it is difficult to obtain accurate figures.

44. Rules of the Choropleth map 1. Only use one colour to show differences in intensity or density This is a good example however it is very difficult to carry it so one alternative may be hatching WHAT IS A CHOROPLETH MAP?

47. Try Cross Hatching If you don’t have 3 different colour blues varying greatly in shade from dark to light use the cross hatching technique to show density ANSWERS DON’T FORGET THE KEY IT’S WORTH 2 MARKS!

51. PLENARY

53. TAKE CARE WHEN USING MAPS