When do small scale maps tend to be used?

Answer 1

Small scale maps, i.e. maps that cover a relatively small area are used when detail is required. For instance when operating in a small area, when approaching a harbour or when walking.

Large scale maps, covering a large area, are used when overview is necessary. This is the case when, for instance, you are leaving a port and just started your journey to the other side of the ocean.

Answer 2

The scale of a map tells you how much real distance is represented by the units of measurement.... 1 centimetre = 1 kilometre; 1 inch = 1 mile; etc.

So a map which was 10 cm x 10 cm would represent an actual area of 10 km x 10 km.

If that map hadn't enough room for all the details I wanted to see, I'd have to go for a larger scale map were 1 cm = 0.5 kilometres. In this case a 10cm x 10 cm map would have a 'real' area of 5 kilimetres by 5 kilometres.... one-quarter the area covered in the first map, but in larger details.

Small scale map therefore refers to a map where a real distance is represented by a very small unit.

Answer 3

A small scale map can show a large area, but with little detail. A large scale map can show a small area, but with a lot of detail.

A motorist's map is likely to be 4 or 6 miles to the inch.

A cyclist or walker are likely to use maps of 1:50 000 and 1:25 000 respectively.

1:50 000 means that 1cm on the map represents 50,000 cm on the ground.

Answer 4

A small scale map (example: 4 miles on the ground to 1 inch on the map) covers a large area, but can't show close details (churches, individual houses in a village, complicated road junctions, etc.) due to lack of space on the map. Such a map would be used by a motorist who needs only the road-network (motorways, main roads, a dot to show a village, etc). A walker, on the other hand, would need a large scale map, one that showed footpaths, field boundaries, farms and villages in detail. Such a map would only cover a small area.

Answer 5

Small scale maps tend to be used when the area being mapped is large, such as continents or countries. These maps show a larger area in less detail, making them useful for planning trips or understanding general geographic relationships.

Answer 6

They are maps that help people find their way.