Maps
About Maps
Maps play an essential part in our lives these days. Most of you will have at least one map application on your smartphone or tablet. But printed corkboard maps are way different than that. Those maps will give you a whole different perspective or the world.
Even though drawing a map looks simple enough, map makers have to put a lot of hard work into making sure that the map is accurate and is useful. And because not all maps are for the same purpose, they have to make different considerations for different maps. In some cases, they try to draw an accurate representation of the countries while other times, they try to do justice to the actual size of all the elements on the earth. Knowing more about these factors will help you decide which map to buy. So, read this article before you start shopping for maps.
Different types of corkboard maps
The science of making maps is known as cartography. Within cartography, there are mainly two different categories of maps: reference maps and thematic maps. Reference maps will show you things that are more direct, like the boundaries of different countries, geographic features like mountains, planes and rivers. Thematic maps are usually a derivative of the reference maps. That means thematic maps represent the distribution of a secondary factor based on a reference map. More often than not, it will be based on political maps.
Political map
For most people, this is what comes to their mind when they think about maps. A Two-dimensional projection of the earth divided based on the boundaries of nation-states. Although this is the most widely used corkboard map among students, journalists, and even ordinary people, it is only one of the many different types of corkboard maps. You can find political maps for different countries, states within those countries and even for smaller counties. A political map will help you understand the political geography of the world. Although it is not quite apparent, these boundaries certainly affect everyone’s life.
Physical map
When you look at the earth from space, you won’t see the boundaries of countries. Rather earth is a single unit with interesting geographic features like mountains, rivers and seas. So, basically, the physical map represents a reality in which humans or the political units are not significant. These corkboard maps are useful for learning about the typography of the earth. They use different colour codes to represent elevation, geographic features, oceans and rivers. There are some physical maps that also include the boundaries between countries, though.
Geologic maps
Geologic maps strip-down earth further and look at it from the perspective of a geologist. So instead of representing the physical features that humans can see like forests, mountains, and water bodies, geologic maps show which part of the land has which type of sediments and rocks. These rocks are deep down below the surface. And for that reason, these corkboard maps are not for the common people. Unless you are a geologist, this map won’t make any sense to you nor will be it any significant. So, it is not surprising that this type of map is used only among the academic circles.
Special purpose maps
Apart from these three major map categories, there are numerous other unique maps. Apparently, it is possible to divide geographic areas depending on an infinite number of factors. It can be based on wealth distribution, resource distribution, average lifespan, major religion, languages, and many more. One downside of such corkboard maps is that it is extremely difficult to make an accurate representation of those factors on a map. And even if one manages to do that, these factors are ever-changing, and therefore, the shelf life of such maps is not that much.
Tips on how to buy Maps Online
Buying a map will not seem like a difficult task at first. However, it is more complicated than you might be harder than you think. In fact, there are more than a few things that determine the type and effectiveness of a map. Furthermore, corkboard maps do vary from each other when it comes to details and accuracy. So, to find the right kind of map, you need to have an understanding of various criteria to look for in a map. Here are some tips that you can follow while shopping for them.
- Size of the map – There are a few options when it comes to map sizes. The smallest maps come in A4 sizes. For individual use, this is a great size because you can use it on a tabletop. Although you will find smaller cork board maps, they are mostly printed in books. There are larger maps of A1 size. This size is ideal for teaching kids in a classroom or making presentations. If you want to go really big, go for the ones that can cover an entire wall.
- Accuracy – It might be interesting to know that there are world maps that are missing entire countries and even continents. And it is not just about small landmasses that are disputed between countries. If you do a bit of research, you can find plenty of world maps that do not include New Zealand. And some are even missing an entire continent, i.e., Antarctica.
- Material – Maps come on a variety of materials from paper to glass, plastic, and wood. Each one of them has its own pros and cons. In the case of paper and vinyl maps, they are pretty portable and lightweight. The downside is that they are not as durable. If you are looking on a map to fix on a wall, then portability is not required. In that case, you can look for materials like glass, plexiglass, and wood.
- Paper quality – Even though maps come on materials other than paper, there is no doubt that most people prefer paper maps. One thing to look for while buying paper maps is obviously the quality of the paper. You can judge the quality of the paper by looking at the GSM. GSM refers to the weight of the paper in grams per square metre. The higher the GSM of a paper, the better it is.
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Question & Answer
Which map projection is the best?
It is impossible to pick out one type of projection that is superior to all others. Rather this depends on what you want from it. There are some compromises to make when you are trying to project a round object like the earth on a plain piece of paper. Therefore, all kinds of map projections out there have one or other form of tradeoffs. So, if you are looking for the most accurate representation of the proportions of the landmass, then AuthaGraph is the best choice. However, you will see the most widely used map projection is the Mercator projection. This is because it has some practical benefits when it comes to navigation and other things.
Why are political maps important?
Political maps show you the lines that define political entities like countries, states and territories. These maps, generally, do not indicate any topographic features of the landmass. Even though people might think these lines are insignificant in our day to day life, that is not correct. Even things like where you are allowed to drive, how much tax you pay, and which side on the road you drive are based on these political boundaries. Most navigation software uses a combination of topographic and political maps. These maps show important political boundaries along with geographical features like rivers, roads and water bodies.
Why is Antarctica missing on some world maps?
Antarctica contains a significant portion of landmass on the earth. However, a lot of maps seem to have forgotten to include this part of the world on the maps. So, why is that? There are several reasons for map makers to omit Antarctica from their maps. One reason is that only a few people live there. That too only for research purposes. There are no permanent settlements in Antarctica. There is yet another reason for not including Antarctica. Because of its location on the southernmost tip of the planet, the shape of this continent is distorted beyond recognition in map projections.
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