<aside> 💡 From this section, you must know…
All maps have key elements that we sum up in the acronym TODALSIGS. Use the map from the PowerPoint on Schoology for examples.
| T | Title | The title conveys the subject and area covered. |
|---|---|---|
| O | Orientation | Symbol – usually a compass rose – that shows the cardinal directions and orientation of a map. |
| D | Date | Identifies when the map or when it is set (usually for historical maps) |
| A | Author | The author or organization that is responsible for creating the map. |
| L | Legend | The legend is the section of the map that explains all symbols and color representations. |
| S | Scale | The scale conveys the distance between points on a map. |
| I | Index | An index lists places on the map in alphabetical order and gives the coordinates for easy location. |
| G | Grid | The grid is a specific pattern used to measure absolute location. |
| S | Source | The source indicates where the author got the information. Sometimes the author and the source are the same. |
| We will discuss sources further some other time. |
Geographers use different maps to show different sets of data. We put maps into three categories: physical, political, and thematic (also known as special purpose) maps.
| Political | Physical | Special Purpose (Thematic) |
|---|---|---|
| shows boundaries between countries, states, counties, and cities | shows the location and shape of the earth’s physical features (mountains, etc) | a map that emphasizes a single idea or a particular kind of information |
| Example: A map of the United States with the state borders | Ex: A map that shows the typography of the United States | Ex: A map that shows the population density of the US’s cities. |
Note: Some maps combine various elements from each of these categories. For example, some political maps of the US include the country’s rivers.
The key to identifying what category they belong to is to ask: “What information is the map primarily trying to display?”