As part of your GCSE geography studies, you are expected to be able to use a variety of different maps, including those found in atlases and maps produced by the Ordnance Survey. You are also expected to have learnt how to draw simple maps. Your knowledge of maps and mapping is one of the assessment criteria for the exams.
Maps are not a realistic representation of the world, map makers use a system of symbols to convey their information. They can take many forms, depending on its intended use. A road map, road atlas or Ordnance Survey map is intended to be used for navigation whereas the maps in a geographical atlas are intended to convey information. They have limited use for navigation as they are drawn on too small a scale.
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This information provides geographers with details such as land use, population density, country boundaries, regional boundaries and political boundaries. The first known maps were made on clay tablets by the Babylonian civilisation over 4000 years ago. The ancient Greeks and the Romans also had maps. In the Middle Ages, maps were generally religious and were often centred on the town of Jerusalem.
Before the invention of printing techniques, maps were all hand-drawn and extremely rare. The great age of exploration by Europeans began in the sixteenth century and the first world maps were created. It was quickly realised that representing the curved surface of the Earth on a flat two-dimensional piece of paper was difficult. In the mid-sixteenth century, the leading cartographer (a person who drew maps) Gerardus Mercator of Belgium developed a system that is still widely used today.
The accuracy of maps increased during the following centuries as more scientific surveying methods were developed. In 1747, the Ministry of Defence was called the Board of Ordnance and they began to create maps to help with more efficient troop movements. This first mapping survey took about 7 years to complete and covered only Scotland. Following this, the leader of the mapping team persuaded the Board of Ordnance to extend the mapping to cover the whole of Britain and in 1791, the Ordnance Survey was born.
A map showing the whole world in detail would need to be very large so when you see a poster-sized map, it will only show the main features of the different countries like the main rivers, mountain ranges and capital cities. In order to show each country in more detail, maps showing the individual countries and regions are published together in an atlas. An atlas is more than just a book of maps, it includes a lot of other data too.
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1.
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Which of the following most accurately describes a map? |
|
[ ] |
An accurate representation of the world |
[ ] |
A representation of part or all of the surface of the Earth |
[ ] |
A drawing that is used only for navigation |
[ ] |
A diagram that shows land use in Australia |
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|
2.
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Which of the following statements most accurately describes an atlas? |
|
[ ] |
A collection of maps |
[ ] |
A list of data about the countries of the world |
[ ] |
A navigational aid |
[ ] |
A book containing maps and other geographical data |
|
|
3.
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Which is the correct word to describe a person who is involved in preparing maps? |
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[ ] |
Mapper |
[ ] |
Cartographer |
[ ] |
Mapsmith |
[ ] |
Mapographer |
|
|
4.
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What is 'Mercator's Projection'? |
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[ ] |
The method used by teachers to show a map to the whole class |
[ ] |
A way of representing the curved surface of the Earth on a flat piece of paper |
[ ] |
A piece of rock that is sticking out from a cliff face |
[ ] |
A special instrument for drawing a map |
|
|
5.
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Which of the following could be found in an atlas |
|
[ ] |
The population of New York City |
[ ] |
A list of the world's longest rivers |
[ ] |
Land use in the UK |
[ ] |
All of the above |
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6.
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Ordnance Survey maps cover ... |
|
[ ] |
England |
[ ] |
the USA |
[ ] |
the whole world |
[ ] |
Britain |
|
|
7.
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Ordnance Survey maps were first created for ... |
|
[ ] |
military purposes |
[ ] |
mountain rescue teams |
[ ] |
people who go for country walks |
[ ] |
car drivers |
|
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8.
|
Which of the following is not a reason for using an atlas? |
|
[ ] |
To find out which countries have a border with Angola |
[ ] |
To navigate your way in mountainous terrain |
[ ] |
To discover which country in the world had the highest population density |
[ ] |
To learn about how land is used in South America |
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9.
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One sort of Ordnance Survey map used by hikers for navigation has a scale of 1:50,000. This means: |
|
[ ] |
only 50,000 copies have ever been printed |
[ ] |
nothing, it is just something that has to be added to the map by law |
[ ] |
there are 50,000 different features marked on the map |
[ ] |
every 2 centimetres measured on the map corresponds to 1 kilometre on the area represented by the map |
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10.
|
On which of the following pages in an atlas might you find a hot desert marked? |
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[ ] |
North Africa, Middle East |
[ ] |
Russia, Japan |
[ ] |
Antarctica |
[ ] |
Philippines and Indonesia |
|
|
1.
|
Which of the following most accurately describes a map? |
|
[ ] |
An accurate representation of the world |
[x] |
A representation of part or all of the surface of the Earth |
[ ] |
A drawing that is used only for navigation |
[ ] |
A diagram that shows land use in Australia |
|
|
2.
|
Which of the following statements most accurately describes an atlas? |
|
[ ] |
A collection of maps |
[ ] |
A list of data about the countries of the world |
[ ] |
A navigational aid |
[x] |
A book containing maps and other geographical data |
|
|
3.
|
Which is the correct word to describe a person who is involved in preparing maps? |
|
[ ] |
Mapper |
[x] |
Cartographer |
[ ] |
Mapsmith |
[ ] |
Mapographer |
|
|
4.
|
What is 'Mercator's Projection'? |
|
[ ] |
The method used by teachers to show a map to the whole class |
[x] |
A way of representing the curved surface of the Earth on a flat piece of paper |
[ ] |
A piece of rock that is sticking out from a cliff face |
[ ] |
A special instrument for drawing a map |
|
|
5.
|
Which of the following could be found in an atlas |
|
[ ] |
The population of New York City |
[ ] |
A list of the world's longest rivers |
[ ] |
Land use in the UK |
[x] |
All of the above |
|
|
6.
|
Ordnance Survey maps cover ... |
|
[ ] |
England |
[ ] |
the USA |
[ ] |
the whole world |
[x] |
Britain |
|
|
7.
|
Ordnance Survey maps were first created for ... |
|
[x] |
military purposes |
[ ] |
mountain rescue teams |
[ ] |
people who go for country walks |
[ ] |
car drivers |
|
|
8.
|
Which of the following is not a reason for using an atlas? |
|
[ ] |
To find out which countries have a border with Angola |
[x] |
To navigate your way in mountainous terrain |
[ ] |
To discover which country in the world had the highest population density |
[ ] |
To learn about how land is used in South America |
|
|
9.
|
One sort of Ordnance Survey map used by hikers for navigation has a scale of 1:50,000. This means: |
|
[ ] |
only 50,000 copies have ever been printed |
[ ] |
nothing, it is just something that has to be added to the map by law |
[ ] |
there are 50,000 different features marked on the map |
[x] |
every 2 centimetres measured on the map corresponds to 1 kilometre on the area represented by the map |
|
|
10.
|
On which of the following pages in an atlas might you find a hot desert marked? |
|
[x] |
North Africa, Middle East |
[ ] |
Russia, Japan |
[ ] |
Antarctica |
[ ] |
Philippines and Indonesia |
|
|