Help with Maps
Maps are an important tool for gathering knowledge. You surely have used maps in the past either on paper or smartphone, whether hiking, driving or finding your wayto a restaurant. You will encounter maps in the future.
As for maps and history, unless you know where things are, you cannot truly understand how they are related to each other. That one country is borders another, or that a river forms a barrier or bridge between people, that another people remain isolated or easily overrun, all these things can be learned from maps.
Understanding maps is easy enough. Here are some basics.
1. Key/Legend
Labels and symbols also help us to understand what is on the map. Look for keys or legends to explain specific devices unique to that map, or commonly used. See this map for an example.
2. Direction
Most maps are oriented with the direction of North at the top, although this is not necessarily so. Compass directional indicator is often placed on the map, use it to make sure of the proper direction. See this map for an example.
Then, no matter which way the map is turned to the left of north is west, to the right of north is east, and opposite of north is south. Always. You must remember these key directions.
3. Water features
Although on color maps, obviously the blue area is water and the white area is land, other maps may have water as white and land as some sort of grey or brown, which might then be confusing.
Water and its location is a vital feature for human activity. Without water we die of thirst and hunger. Water creates barriers, but also enables travel and contact.
For the Europe map, you notice the large amounts of water on the west, and land to the south in Africa and to the east across into Asia. The oceans are, sometimes arbitrarily, broken up into smaller seas. See this map for an example.
4. Land features
The land mass of Europe is also broken up by hills and mountains. The most important mountains are the Alps and the Pyrennes.
5. Human features
Human beings use maps to describe and show what is important to them. In addition to listing the features of land and water, humans also list human creations on the maps. Such choices are borders of regions or countries, cities, towns, roads, canals, etc. See this map for an example.
See also Sample Questions for Maps
