A map legend is a side table or box on a map that shows the pregnant of the symbols, shapes, and colors used on the map. The map legend is sometimes called the map fundamental. The map fable often besides has a scale to help the map reader judge distances.

Map legends historically have been fixed elements on a printed map, simply interactive digital maps often include dynamic map legends.

What'south on a Map Legend?

A map legend shows colors, shapes, and symbols to define a certain characteristic of the map. On a physical location map, you might notice areas of lakes, rivers, and mount ranges highlighted in the map fable for the type of map that'due south being used.

On a political map, yous volition find areas of influence pertaining to a party or individual politician. A map legend volition show colors and shapes for the political influences, such as parties, that are ascendant in a particular state or region.

Using a Map Legend

Map legends are often found in a elevation or bottom of a map, with a colour or symbol and a description for what these colors and symbols mean. Check your map expanse, then consult the map key for a clearer definition of the office of the map you lot're seeing.

The map fable's purpose is also to bear witness relationships between certain things. You might be in a major metro area and consult the subway map, as an alternative to taking a jitney or automobile. The map and its legend tin highlight non only the distance but too the complexity or ease of your trip using a public subway. This value in highlighting spatial relationships is a key asset to a printed map fable.

Types of Maps Legends

There are many different types of maps, then the map legend varies according to the purpose of the map. On physical geographic surface area maps, the shapes and symbols likely evidence the location for towns and cities, rivers and lakes, government buildings, county borders, and highways. On more than specialized maps, the map fable will differ. For instance, on a map of a big building or circuitous, doors, windows, exits, stairwells, fences, property boundaries, and more will be highlighted in the map fable.

Types of Printed Maps

Since the dawn of man, mapmakers and cartographers have created maps for guidance by travelers. Early on maps were offset started getting fabricated on tablets made from clay, and after onto parchment paper and finally to printed maps and book atlases.

Today, there are many types of maps and their corresponding legends. You lot can discover common foldable printed road maps and big road maps in bound atlas form. If you're a meteorologist, you will consult weather maps and climate maps. There are reference maps, political maps, population maps, gender maps, and more.

Benefits of Printed Maps

Printed maps have lost general usage during the past 20 years, due to the ascent of satellite-aided GPS on mobile devices. Having a vocalisation directly you in your car via your mobile device is an innovation few of us could live without today. However, printed maps and their legends can oft guide the states in ways on our travels that small-scale screens cannot.

For example, looking at a larger map can give travelers an idea of what's in the surrounding area, and not just on the directly road to the location. If you lot are belongings a hiking map, yous can gauge the distance betwixt your start and your turnaround loop using a printed map.