Methods of Geographic Inquiry MAPPING
Every Map Should Have: Title - describes what the map is about. Symbols - common symbols used on all maps become international standards. They can be found in most map legends. Legend - whenever you put a colour or a symbol on a map you need to identify what it represents in a separate section on the front of the map. Labels - these are the names placed on the map for things like rivers, cities, provinces, countries, etc. These names are always printed in black ink. Labels should be horizontal. They start with a capital letter. If label space is not available, draw a neat line to the feature and put the label near one of the map borders. Direction - a map must have a north arrow or the directions printed around the edges of the map outside the border. Colour - colour should be used to highlight specific information or to clearly differentiate the separation between land and water. Blue should never be used for anything but water and then it is only necessary to trace the outline of the region in blue.
Map Necessities TODALS T Title O Orientation D Date of Map A Author or Cartographer L Legend or Key S Scale: distance unit measurement