Atlas Introduction
Name:______
Date:______
Class:______
One of the most useful and important tools that a student of geography or history can use is an atlas. An atlas contains a series of maps, which if understood and properly used, can be a great assistance. The atlas we will be using in school is called the Macmillan school atlas, but all atlases follow the same basic principles.
Most atlases can be divided into 3 sections:
1. The Table of Contents:
The Table of Contents will tell you the names of the maps the atlas contains. Sometimes maps will be grouped together under certain headings or listings. Using the table of contents properly can save you a great deal of time and frustration.
2. The Maps:
Maps are drawings or pictures of the earth, or a part of the earth, which has been drawn on a flat surface. Here you will gain the necessary information. There are 3 main types of maps:
A. Political maps are those dealing with the divisions of a country, province, state or continent. These divisions are manmade and are usually indicated by borders and colours.
B. Landform maps are often referred to as or physical or relief maps. They deal with the features of the land. These maps show rivers, lakes, hills, mountains, valleys, etc. Each landform will be identified by a different colour. Changes within each landform will be shown by a different shade of the same colour. The 3 main colours used on a landform map are red, yellow and green.
C. Special Purpose maps are all the rest of the maps. They are used to indicate special things such as highways, railways, river systems, housing areas, etc.
Maps are usually grouped according to the type of information they give. Many features on a map are shown by special symbols such as lines, dots, pictures, arrows, colours, etc. These are explained in the legend of a map – an area, usually a box, set aside containing the aids necessary to interpret the map. The legend usually tells the title of the map and its scale. Scale indicates the size of the area shown on the map and helps us to tell the approximate distances between places. Most maps also have a key for finding direction. The key is usually an arrow that points to the north. On the earliest of maps, this was known as the compass Rose. Many early mapmakers or cartographers used the Compass Rose as their signatures as their designs were often quite ornate.
3. The Gazetteer or Index:
The Gazetteer or Index of the atlas gives you specific information about all the places which can be found on the maps in the atlas. They are listed in alphabetical order. The gazetteer gives you place names, the page on which the map may be found and a simple grid reference. The grid reference is made up of a letter and a number and makes finding the location a great deal easier.
Example: Halifax, NS 51 D3 (Halifax is found on page 51, grid reference D3)
Using the Atlas – Exercise 1
Name:______
Date:______
Class:______
Use your notes and the Macmillan School Atlas to help you answer the following:
1. What are the 3 parts of any atlas?
______
2. What are the 3 main types of maps?
______
3. What type of map is found on page 35 of your atlas? ______
4. What is the title of the map on page 35? ______
5. How many landform maps for North America are found in your atlas? ______
6. How many maps are there for the Atlantic Provinces? ______
7. On what page is there a landform or physical map for Saskatchewan? _____
8. What type of map is found on page 88? ______
9. How many special purpose maps are there for Africa? ______
10. On what page is there a map for Mexico? ______
11. On what page does the gazetteer begin? ______
12. How many maps are there for South America? ______
13. On what page do you find a political map of Canada? ______
14. What are the political divisions of Canada called? ______
15. On what page can you find information from 1664? ______
16. What is the grid reference for Charlottetown? ______
17. What is the grid reference for Ottawa? ______