Kinds Of Maps And Their Uses

In the olden days, maps were believed to have been used only for geographical purposes, mainly to aid one in traveling from one island to another, in the hopes of discovering new land, or products or goods to trade with. These days, however, there are different kinds of maps and their uses are more extensive and cover more diverse purposes.

A map is basically a representation of a country, a city, a town, or basically any place that has been thoroughly defined with regional names and geographical measurements. It is a scaled down, two-dimensional image of a place, which helps tell its relationship (in terms of distance) with other areas or regions.

Below is a list of the many kinds of maps and their uses.

– Physical map – A physical map depicts all the geographical features of a certain place, from the land forms that make it what it is, to the water formations that contribute to its ecosystems. Physical maps make use of certain colors to make it easy to locate and identify high and low elevations, as well as vegetation. This is perhaps the most common kind of map out there, and is often used to find certain areas and spot their topographical qualities.

– Political map -The primary function of political maps is to exhibit the territorial borders and boundaries created by governments or political entities to protect their regions. Instead of finding topographical or geographical features of a certain area, these kinds of maps and their uses are focused mainly on defining what areas a certain nation has sovereignty over.

– Topographical map – Very much like a physical map, the topographical map replicates and shows the different topographical qualities of a particular area. The only difference is, a topographic map contains more reference details and topographical information that makes it a valuable tool for urban planners, civil engineers and environmental workers.

– Road map – Compared to maps that span the entire globe, road maps are more concentrated on smaller specific areas or locations. These kinds of maps and their uses usually involve highlighting roads and highways, identifying significant establishments such as airports and major hospitals, and marking significant landmarks. They are extremely useful for backpackers who seek adventure in areas that are not too far from their point of origin, or individuals who organize road trips from one location to another.

– Economic maps – These maps draw attention to the financial source or economic activity of certain areas. They identify the different industries responsible for hoisting the economy of a major city or country. They are different from other maps in the sense that there is very little focus on actual location, and are mainly concerned with what individuals in a certain area do to support them financially.

– Climate maps – Climate maps are also unique kinds of maps, and their uses are primarily involved in identifying the kind of weather condition a group of inhabitants experience in a specific area or location.

These are some useful kinds of maps that can be used for several purposes.