Google map is a tool that people nowadays may be installed in their smartphones. Not only this, maps are wisely used in different places such as theme parks for way finding purposes. However, it is different to know how the readability, usability of those maps. “Maps are graphic representations that facilitate a spatial understanding of things, concepts, conditions, processes, or events in the human world” (Harley and Woodward 1987: xvi). A map is formed by two methods, spatial concept mapping and tabular data with textual descriptions. Spatial concept mapping is related to clustering or classification while the other methods map with data in a table form with some texts describing it. In this article …show more content…
Maps with selections and incompletions from the reality are necessary. Maps have to tell white lies making maps become user-friendly and accurate (Monmonier, 1991). So, there are different types of map having different functions/areas focused: political map, physical map, topographic map, climate map, economic or resource map, road map and thematic map.
Political map focuses only on the state and national boundaries of a place without showing any topographic features while physical map only shows the physical landscape features of a place.
They generally show things like mountains, rivers and lakes and water is always shown with blue. Mountains and elevation changes are usually shown with different colors and shades to show relief. Normally on physical maps green shows lower elevations while browns show high elevations.
Most maps are smaller than the reality they represent, and map scales tell us how much smaller. Maps can state their scale in three ways: as a ratio, as a short sentence, and as a simple …show more content…
They can show things like the specific climatic zones of an area based on the temperature, the amount of snow an area receives or average number of cloudy days. These maps normally use colors to show different climatic areas.
Economic or Resource Map
An economic or resource map shows the specific type of economic activity or natural resources present in an area through the use of different symbols or colors depending on what is being shown on the map.
Road Map
A road map is one of the most widely used map types. These maps show major and minor highways and roads (depending on detail) as well as things like airports, city locations and points of interest like parks, campgrounds and monuments. Major highways on a road map are generally red and larger than other roads, while minor roads are a lighter color and a narrower line.
Thematic Map
A thematic map is a map that focuses on a particular theme or special topic and they are different from the six aforementioned general reference maps because they do not just show natural features like rivers, cities, political subdivisions, elevation and highways. If these items are on a thematic map, they are background information and are used as reference points to enhance the map's