Understanding Maps: Explore the World Through Map Reading

A map is a flat drawing that shows what a place looks like from above, like a bird's-eye view. Maps use symbols, colours, and lines to show features like roads, rivers, cities, and mountains. You can use a map to find locations, plan routes, and understand where places are in the world.

A map is different from a photograph, a model, or a storybook. It is a special tool that gives you information about a place in a simple, easy-to-read way. You will also learn about a globe, which is a round, three-dimensional model of the entire Earth, and an atlas, which is a book filled with many different maps of places and regions. You can explore Using Geography Tools to learn even more about these helpful resources.

Every map has special parts that help you read it correctly. You should always check these parts before you start reading a map.

Map Legend (Map Key)

A legend, also called a map key, explains what each symbol and colour on the map stands for. For example, a blue line might mean a river, and a star might mean a capital city. Without the legend, you would not know what the different markings mean, so always check it first.

Compass Rose

A compass rose is a symbol on a map that shows the four main directions: north, south, east, and west. On most maps, north points toward the top of the page. The compass rose helps you navigate and understand which way is which when you are reading a map.

Map Scale

A scale helps you figure out real distances between two places shown on the map. For example, one centimetre on the map might equal 10 kilometres in real life. You use the scale to calculate how far apart places actually are.

Map Grid

A grid uses crossing lines with letters and numbers to help you pinpoint exact locations on the map. Grid lines create rows and columns so you can find and describe where any place is located.

The four cardinal directions are north, south, east, and west. On most maps, north is at the top, south is at the bottom, east is to the right, and west is to the left. These directions help you describe where places are located on a map.

There are also intermediate directions, sometimes called ordinal directions, which fall between the cardinal directions. For example, northeast is between north and east on the compass rose. Knowing both cardinal and intermediate directions helps you navigate any map, including a map of Canada.

There are different kinds of maps, and each one shows different information. A physical map shows natural features like mountains, rivers, and lakes on Earth. A political map shows human-made borders like countries, provinces, and capital cities.

You can learn more about the natural features shown on maps by exploring Geographic Features. Understanding both types of maps helps you see the world in different ways.

Canada is divided into ten provinces and three territories. The ten provinces include British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The three territories are Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, all located in the north.

The capital city of Canada is Ottawa, located in the province of Ontario. On a map, capital cities are often marked with a star symbol. The colour blue on a map usually shows water, such as oceans, lakes, and rivers. Canada is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and the Arctic Ocean on the north. Canada is located in the Northern Hemisphere, above the equator.

On a map of Canada, dashed or dotted lines usually represent borders between provinces or countries. Green areas often represent forests, parks, or land covered with vegetation. You can explore Regional Characteristics to learn more about what makes different parts of Canada unique.

Map: A flat drawing that shows what a place looks like from above. You use a map to find locations and understand where places are.

Legend (Map Key): The part of a map that explains what each symbol and colour stands for. You should always check the legend before reading a map.

Compass Rose: A symbol on a map that shows the four main directions north, south, east, and west. You use the compass rose to find which direction is north.

Scale: A tool on a map that helps you figure out the real distance between two places. For example, one centimetre on the map might equal 10 kilometres in real life.

Grid: A set of crossing lines with letters and numbers that helps you find the exact location of a place on a map.

Cardinal Directions: The four main directions north, south, east, and west shown on a compass rose.

Intermediate Directions: Directions that fall between the cardinal directions, such as northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest.

Physical Map: A map that shows natural features like mountains, rivers, and lakes.

Political Map: A map that shows human-made borders like countries, provinces, and capital cities.

Globe: A round, three-dimensional model that represents the whole Earth accurately.

Atlas: A book filled with many different maps of places and regions around the world.

Aerial View: Looking down at a place from high above in the air, like a bird's-eye view. Maps use this perspective to show how places look from above.

Symbol: A small picture or shape on a map that stands for a real thing, like a star for a capital city or a blue line for a river.

Equator: An imaginary line that divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Canada is located north of the equator.

Northern Hemisphere: The half of the Earth that is north of the equator. Canada is located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere.

You can practice reading maps by looking at a map of Canada and finding the compass rose, legend, and scale. Try to identify the ten provinces and three territories, and find Ottawa, the capital city. You can also practice using the grid to locate specific places on the map.

Try identifying what different colours and symbols mean by checking the legend. Look for blue areas that show water, green areas that show forests or parks, and star symbols that mark capital cities. Exploring Human Geography will help you understand how people and places are connected on a map.

Before learning about map reading, you explored topics that help you understand the world. In World Maps and Locations, you learned how to find places on a world map. In Types of Landforms: Mountains, Valleys, and Plains and Types of Water Bodies: Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, you learned about the natural features that appear on physical maps.

You also explored Where People Live and Understanding Other Places, which help you understand why maps show communities and regions. Your knowledge of Finding Information helps you use maps as research tools. Learning about Regional Biodiversity: Plants and Animals Across Diverse Ecosystems and Weather and Life also connects to the kinds of information shown on different types of maps.

Understanding maps connects to many other important geography topics. In Using Geography Tools, you will explore more tools like globes and atlases that work alongside maps. In Geographic Features, you will learn about the landforms and water bodies that appear on physical maps.

You will also explore Human Geography to understand how people use and change the land shown on maps. In Regional Characteristics, you will discover what makes different regions unique. You will see how landscapes change over time in Changing Landscapes, and you will learn how communities relate to their surroundings in Communities and Their Environments.

Your map reading skills will prepare you for more advanced topics. In Major Landforms and Water Bodies: Mountains, Rivers, Oceans, you will use maps to study Earth's biggest features. You will explore Geographic Areas and Natural Resource Types and Distribution Patterns to understand how resources are spread across the world. You will also study Human Settlement Patterns and Distribution to see where and why people choose to live in certain places.