Representation of Geographical Features: Globes and Maps

A globe is a three-dimensional, accurate model of the Earth, showing the location and shape of continents and oceans. It rotates on a stand and helps in locating places precisely with the help of latitudes and longitudes.

A map represents the world as a whole or a part of it, usually on a flat surface. It is thus a visual representation of the Earth on a flat surface.

Importance of Maps

1. They are a source of knowledge and accurate information about places, for students and teachers.
2. They are also used by navigators and travellers to find the direction to their destinations.
3. They are used by town planners for town planning.
4. They show a lot of detail and are very informative. They may show political divisions, physical features, natural vegetation or population distribution with appropriate colours and symbols. They are, therefore, useful for administrators and the military.

Elements of a map

There are five elements of a map — title, scale, the North Line, grid and legend.

1. Title: The type of information that a map shows determines its title.
2. Scale: A scale is the proportion or ratio between the distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground, or the Earth's surface.
3. North Line: This symbol (↑N) indicates the north direction and helps us to find the direction of any place on the map.
4. Grid: Grids are regular horizontal and vertical lines. They help in finding places on the map. The horizontal lines are northings while vertical lines are eastings.
5. Legend or index: It includes the various symbols and colours used in a map and helps us to interpret the information being provided by the map.

Maps are better than globes in the following ways:

1. A map is easy to handle as it can be folded or rolled. Hence, it can be carried everywhere, which is not the case when we talk about a globe.
2. Maps are very informative as they show more details of small areas. However, globes cannot show such small details like details of a city or a state or distribution of various resources.

A scale is the proportion or ratio between the distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground, or the Earth's surface. Hence, it helps us to draw large areas of the ground accurately on a small map. Distances may be measured using the statement of scale or the graduated straight line on the map.

A map with a scale of 1 cm to 100 km is called a small-scale map because a small unit of 1 cm on the map represents a very large distance of 100 km on the ground. Such maps show a large area with limited detail, highlighting only major features like countries, states, or large cities, not finer local details.

Since a map represents a part of the Earth's surface in a small size, the space available on it is limited. Many features such as rivers, roads and settlements have to be shown on the map in the available limited space. Therefore, these features are depicted by a set of symbols called conventional symbols.

Two reasons to use a sketch are as follows:

1. A sketch shows relevant details only but not all features, i.e. it gives us a rough idea of the route between two places.
2. It is mostly used for showing small areas randomly. Hence, a sketch can be drawn quickly from one's memory.

A plan is used to show detailed information about a small area, such as a school. For example, a school plan helps us see the exact layout of classrooms, offices, playgrounds, and other facilities. This is because a plan is drawn to a large scale, allowing us to include precise details that wouldn’t be visible on a regular map.

Equator

cartography

northeast.

small-scale maps.

a large-scale map

A—a tributary, B—a distributary

It has flat-topped portions which are separated by two faults.

A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1

Maps give a rough picture of the Earth.

Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Explanation — Maps showing continents are drawn on a small-scale as it requires less scaling down.

River

Tributaries

Deltas

Anticline

Rift valley

1. The Shopping Plaza lies southeast to the Park.

2. To go to Block C from School, I will move in northeast direction.

3. The Garden lies to the south of Block B.

4. To reach Block C from the Shopping Plaza, I will move in northwest direction.

5. The Park lies to the northwest of the Statesman House.

I would suggest my parents to refer to a plan of the apartment, and not a map.

This is because a plan would show the exact layout of the apartment including room sizes, arrangement, and entrances. It helps in making practical decisions like furniture placement, room utility, and space planning. A map would only be useful to see the location of the building, and not provide the specific details of the apartment inside.