Map Skills
Map ScaleScale: a map scale shows how distance on a map compares to distance on the portion of the earth's surface shown by the map.
Distance: how far in ground distance (km) one point on a map is from another point on a map. How to find distance using graphic scale:
How to find distance using a representative fraction:
For example:
Your map has a scale that is 1:50,000. Using a ruler, you measured the distance and it was 3 cm. Multiply 3 cm by 50,000 (3 x 50,000 = 150,000). The distance on the real ground is 150,000 cm. To convert cm into km (100 cm = 1 m) divide the number of cm by 1000. Therefore, 150,000 cm = 1500 m or 1.5 km. |
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