CIE Science Week - Map Reading

Maps provide visual information about the world in a simple way that help the reader locate where they are and where they want to go.
Some of a map's essential elements are legends (or symbols), grids, labels, direction, title, distance (or scale), compass, citations and index. These make maps comprehensible and accessible.

There are give types of map: navigation maps, thematic maps, Cadastral maps, topographical maps and general reference maps
The word "map" comes from the medieval Latin: Mappa mundi, wherein mappa meant 'napkin' or 'cloth' and mundi 'the world'.
A cartographer, a map maker, must decide what the purpose of the map is, and who is going to use it (the intended audience).
The shape of our planet makes it impossible to draw a map perfectly on a piece of paper, it will always be stretched incorrectly.
Grids can help us find sections of a map, so we can create a reference index for where things are.