Maps and place knowledge, Year 10: atlas maps and OS maps

linear

HintIt shares its root with the thing you draw along a ruler.

The whyGeographers describe where things are with a few precise words. Clustered means bunched around one spot, dispersed means spread out, and linear means strung along a line such as a plate margin, a coast, a river or a road. Using the right word earns the mark that "they are in some places" does not.

A line of longitude

HintOne city is north of the Equator and one is south of it, so compare the second number.

The whyLatitude is given first and says how far north or south of the Equator a place is. Longitude is given second and says how far east or west of the Prime Meridian it is. Both cities are 31° east, so they lie on the same meridian, one almost due north of the other.

A negative association

HintAsk whether the two values rise together or move in opposite directions.

The whyIn a positive association both values rise together. In a negative one, one falls as the other rises. Comparing two thematic maps like this is how geographers spot a link between a physical factor and a human pattern; the next step is to explain it (high land is cold, steep and hard to farm).

A thematic map

HintIts name comes from the word for the single subject of a piece of work.

The whyAn atlas has general maps, which show relief, rivers, towns and borders together, and maps that pick out one subject. Choropleth, dot and isoline maps are all of this second kind. Read the title and key first: they say what the one subject is and how it is measured.

smaller

HintOn this map one centimetre stands for a huge distance, so every feature is drawn tiny.

The whyScale says how much the real world has been shrunk. A world map might be 1:100 000 000 and a county map 1:250 000. The world map shrinks things far more, so it shows more area in less detail. Ordnance Survey makes the same point: its 1:250 000 maps show much more area than its 1:25 000 maps, in far less detail.

A valley

HintWater always collects along the lowest ground.

The whyCheck which way the Vs point by reading the contour heights. If the Vs point uphill, the ground between their arms is lower than the ground on either side, so it is a valley. A blue stream line through the tips confirms it. Ordnance Survey gives the same rule.

spur

HintA horse rider wears one on the heel of a boot.

The whyWhen the Vs point downhill, the ground between their arms is higher than the ground on either side. That is a finger of high land sticking out from a hill. In an upland river valley these fingers alternate from each side, which is why the river winds between them.

A steep rise, then flat high ground

HintDecide what tightly packed contours mean, and what a contour-free stretch means.

The whyA cross-section is a side view of the land along a line. Each contour the line crosses is plotted at its height, and the points are joined. Many contours in a short distance give a steep slope. No contours means the height is not changing, so the section runs level at about 250 m.

Flooding

HintThink about low, level land next to a channel after days of heavy rain.

The whyFlat land with few or no contours beside a river is its flood plain. Older settlements often stand just above it, on slightly higher and drier ground. In the exam, back an inference like this with map evidence: a height from a contour or spot height, and a grid reference.

Tourism

HintAsk who would use all of these, and whether those people live there.

The whyOS maps cannot show people, so human activity is inferred from symbols. Facilities for visitors with few homes nearby suggest that people come for leisure. In an answer, name each symbol you used and give its grid reference: "map evidence" means evidence a marker can find on the map.