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How to Read Maps

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The ability to read maps is a must for everyone. It is especially essential for people who are into nautical navigation because map reading is important in coordinating and determining the ship's exact location and course.

If you aren't in nautical navigation, it would also be a great help if you would have even the slightest knowledge on how to read maps. That is to prepare you for any emergency situation when you would inevitably be required to pin down locations using maps.

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You may think that you know how to read maps. You probably think that it is just like reading any document, only that you won't be reading entire texts, but captions and names of places embedded in drawings or sketches of a place or location.

To be able to start learning how to read maps, it would be advisable if you would resort to reading normal street maps. You could easily access or get a copy of such maps. You could log onto your favorite search engine, then type the name of your city and the word street map.

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To read such maps, you have to be familiar with the places within the city or the area. By that, you can easily pin point locations based on the adjacency to reference points or locators. To pin point your exact location on the map, find the nearest landmark. Be accustomed to directions, and in no time, you can determine your location.

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Using topographical maps

When you are into nautical navigation, the skill in reading the topographical map will be a requirement. Such maps are deemed much more useful than other maps because aside from indicating geographic locations and cities, topographical maps also show land terrains and other land features like structures, roads and even mines.

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You will find such maps much more useful, accurate and helpful. However, reading such maps isn't as easy as you might think. Terrains and specific land features will make your map reading experience much more complicated.

However hard it may become, learning how to read the topographical map isn't just fun but also enlightening. You will be able to pin point an area's exact standard location. How could that be? Well, here are several simple guidelines that will help you learn to read such maps.

To know the exact general description of the map, read the map title first. The title is usually located at the right hand corner of the material. Normally, titles are written in bold capital letters so you can't miss them. To find the exact topographical map you may need, read the map title first so you know if you have the right map for your purpose.

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Know about latitudes and longitudes. These terms may sound a little technical for you, but it would be helpful if you would learn the basic information about them. The latitude is the horizontal line dividing the map into the upper and lower or north and south. The typical topographic map has a latitude line exactly at the equator. As you move up from that line, the latitude increases til 90 degrees when you reach the northernmost part of the North Pole; same goes to the south.

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The longitude, on the other hand is the vertical line dividing maps from east to west. The prime meridian is the equivalent of the equator.

Take note of the map scale. At the center of the bottom part of the map, the map scales are usually indicated. The map scale contains representation of the numerical relationship on the distance within the map. Measuring such distance on the map would be significant in computing the actual distance. For example, a scale might indicate that a centimeter is equivalent to a kilometer on the map. That means, when you read the map, assume that the centimeter measures are actually in kilometers. Thus, you will better understand and estimate exact distances.

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Overall, reading maps shouldn't be too complicated if you have the determination and the right drive to do so. Learn how to read necessary maps and discover how fun it is to know more about geography and locations.

Ainuddin Mohamad is the Webmaster of the Online Reading Center at http://onlinereadingcenter.com which features online reading resources.