First steps in reading maps
FoundationA map is read through its basic elements: the title tells you what it shows, the legend explains symbols, the scale shows how much it is shrunk, and direction tells you which way is north.
- Title = place and theme
- Legend = the symbol dictionary, always check it
- Scale + direction = the keys to distance and bearing
§Text Passage
1This lesson teaches the basic elements of a map: the title, legend, scale, directions and grid. A map shrinks the three-dimensional world onto paper, and reading one without knowing its elements is like receiving a coded letter. Master them, and you can find your way around any unfamiliar place.
2Why do maps need legends and direction indicators? A map is the real world shrunk by a fixed ratio: symbols save space, and shared conventions make sure everyone reading the same map reaches the same conclusion. A compass, the sun or the North Star can all help us find north, and the other directions follow.
3Maps published by Hong Kong's Lands Department, such as the Hong Kong Guide and country-park hiking maps, use standard symbols for barbecue sites, toilets and pavilions. Next time you hike on Tai Mo Shan or in Sai Kung, match the map against your surroundings — map skills really do come in handy.
1Summary 重點摘要
A map is read through its basic elements: the title tells you what it shows, the legend explains symbols, the scale shows how much it is shrunk, and direction tells you which way is north.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Tells you what place and what theme the map shows.
The map's dictionary: explains what each symbol means.
Shows the ratio between map distance and real-world distance.
Which way is north; most maps have north at the top.
Crossing lines that help you pin down exact locations.
Lines joining places of equal height, showing the shape of the land.
A symbol on the map pointing to north; follow it to fix directions.
A picture standing for a real feature; its meaning is defined by the legend.
3Step by step Steps
- Read the title firstThe title tells you what place and what theme the map shows — 'Land use of Hong Kong Island', for example. Reading it first fixes the scope and content in your mind, so you do not wander aimlessly among the symbols. It also primes what you have already learned, keeps your answers on topic, and gives the whole reading of the map a clear direction.
- Then check the legendThe legend is the map's symbol dictionary: blue stands for water, green for vegetation, brown lines for contours; the Lands Department's Hong Kong Guide uses standard symbols for barbecue sites, toilets, pavilions and other facilities. Remember that colour schemes differ between maps, so the same symbol may not mean the same thing everywhere — always check the legend first before trusting anything on the map.
- Fix the direction lastMost maps place north at the top, but that is only a convention, not a rule; in the field you can find north with a compass, the sun or the North Star. If the map carries a north arrow, however, you must follow it and never assume the top is north. Examinations love this trap — the arrow may point left — so always find the north arrow before judging any other direction.
- Put them togetherReading a map properly means using all the elements together: quote grid lines to pinpoint a barbecue site or pavilion, judge the steepness from the spacing of contours, fix directions by the north arrow, and finally compare the map with the ground. Do this once before hiking in Sai Kung or on Tai Mo Shan and you will know the route well, get lost far less easily in the countryside, and be safer overall.
- Read the scaleA map shrinks the ground by a fixed ratio, and the scale states that ratio: 1:20000 means 1 cm on the map represents 20000 cm (200 m) on the ground — precisely the scale of Hong Kong's most widely used HM20C sheets. Find the scale before anything else and you can judge how large an area the map covers, how far two places really are apart, and convert every distance you measure.
- Master the eight compass pointsBetween the four cardinal points lie the intercardinal ones — NE, SE, SW and NW — making eight compass points in all. Facing north and counting clockwise they run NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW. From Hong Kong Island, Tai Mo Shan bears roughly between north and north-west. Reporting positions with eight points is far more precise than using the four cardinal points alone, and descriptions become clearer too.
4Diagrams Diagrams
5Worked example Example
Example: a map shows many close brown ring lines, labelled 'contour 100' in the legend. What are they?
- Check the legend: they are contour lines
- Contours join places of equal height; the number is the height in metres
- The closer the lines, the steeper the slope
- Before a hike, read the contour spacing to pick a suitable route
- Answer: They are contour lines. Each contour joins points of equal height, and its number gives the altitude in metres; closely packed lines mean a steep slope, widely spaced lines a gentle one. Before a hike, reading the spacing tells you how hard the climb will be and how long it will take, so you can dodge the steeps and pick a safe, suitable route.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1What are the basic elements of a map?
Q2What does the legend do?
Q3If a map has no north arrow, which side is usually north?
Q4Why do maps use symbols instead of drawing real features exactly as they look?
Q5A map's north arrow points to the top-right corner. Which direction is the top of this map?
8Recap Recap
- Title = place and theme
- Legend = the symbol dictionary, always check it
- Scale + direction = the keys to distance and bearing
- Contour spacing shows the slope: close = steep, wide = gentle
- Follow the north arrow if there is one; otherwise north is at the top