Maps

A map is a drawing on a flat surface of a part or whole of the Earth’s surface. It is drawn as though looking down on the land from directly above. There many types of maps designed for different purposes. Some maps show geological structure of the land, others show how land is used whether is farmed or used under pasture or buildings or forest etc.

However, the most useful maps are those which show a lot of information about the human and physical geography, roads, railways, buildings, boundaries, vegetation, relief and drainage. These types of maps are called Topographical maps.

Other Types of Maps

Weather Maps: An outline map of a particular area with the information from various weather observation centers called weather stations shown on it. On the map, the data for each weather station is shown by symbols.

Dot Maps: A dot map is used to show how variables are distributed or spread over an area. Each dot on a dot map represents a certain value. For example, on a map of St. Kitts, we can put dots to show how the population is distributed.

Choropleth Maps: This is another type of map that shows how a quantity or feature is generally distributed over a given area.  Choropleth maps usually show averages, or mean, or ratios or percentages rather than symbols to represent whole numbers. They are particularly useful to show population densities.

Isopleth Maps: These types of maps are used to show a more detailed distribution pattern of the actual values of a variable or quantity within an area. The most common isopleth map is the land contour map which shows the variation in height of the land in a particular area.