Map Reading skils

This is a post on the ways that one can intepret a map.

There are several important features that one must consider upon looking at a map.

1) Scale
If a map shows 1:25000, it means 1cm is to 25000cm, which means that 1cm on the map covers an actual distance of 25000/100=250m on actual scale. This is important especially to gauge average travelling time between two places indicated on a map.

2) Roads
Are there roads connected to a particular area? Not only does this tell me if people can drive there, but it also shows me the human activities going on in the area. If there are many roads leading to and from the area, especially if they are highways or expressways, then we can infer that the area has a high volume of economic activity. Also keep a look out for traffic junctions, towns and other aspects of the area to further conclude the type of economic activity in the area.

3) Vegetation
Check the map for farms and nature reserves. Are the farms located near the town areas or along major roads? Are there also several crop processing factories or plants nearby? If the answer is yes, then it is likely that the area is a major agricultural area.

4) Facilities
The types of facilities you should be looking for to discern the economic activities of an area are:
-Schools (Education)
-Hospitals and clinics (Level of healthcare)
-Housing(Densely or sparsely populated?)
-Hotels and resorts(Tourism)
-Factories(Manufacturing and industrialisation)
-Shopping centers (Shopping and tertiary services)
-Religious places(Religion)
-Swimming pools, gyms, running track(Sports facilities)
-Attractions for tourists(Tourism)

5) Water bodies and rivers
Check the map for rivers because rivers are a source of hydroelectric power(Through dams), means of transportation by boats, source of irrigation water. Reservoirs are areas for storage and mass distribution of clean water. Seas are possibly a means of transportation, check if the area on the map has ports and docks. 

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