Chapter Name: Maps BOSEM Class 6
Subject: Social Science
Lesson: 4
Class: 6
Board: Board Of Secondary Education Manipur (BOSEM/BSEM)
Contents: Chapter, Questions and Answers, Important points to Remember.
Chapter 4: Maps
You know it is impossible to give great detail about a globe. So we take the help of maps. Maps can give us more information about a place or region of the earth. A map is a drawing of the earth or a part of it on a piece of paper. On maps, the details are shown in symbols, colours, words etc. thus, a map contains as many as a big book.
Maps are very useful not only to geographers but also to the common people. Before going to any place, you can have all kinds of information you require from the map of that place. The science of map-making is known as cartography. The oldest map was made in 2500 B.C. It was in the form of a clay tablet.
When many maps are put together we get an atlas. Atlases are of various sizes.
Components of maps: Distance, Direction and symbol
Distance
We can draw the entire earth or a part of it on a piece of paper by reducing the size. This reduction is done with great care so that the distances between the places are kept true. So all maps are drawn to scale. A scale shows the relation between the distance on a map and its corresponding distance on the ground.
For example, you want to show the distance between your school and your home which is 4 kilometres. Can you show this distance on a piece of paper? No. You must take the help of a scale. If you show this distance of 4 km by 2 cm on a map, it means 1 cm on the map will show 2km on the ground.
So, the scale of your drawing will be 1 cm to 2 km. 1 cm is the distance on the map and it shows a distance of 2 km on the actual ground. With the help of scale, we can find out the distance between any two places on a map. Thus scale is a very important component of the map.
When large areas like continents or countries are shown on a small map, it is called a small-scale map. For example, the map of India in your atlas is a small-scale map. But if a map of the same size shows a part of Imphal or any other village, it is a large-scale map. Small-scale maps give us a general picture of a large area without much detail while large-scale maps give us more details about a small area.
Direction
On maps, you can see an arrow with the letter N. This arrow points towards the north. We call it the North Line. If we know the north, we can find out other directions like south, east and west.
These are the four major directions of a map. They are called cardinal points. Where such an indication is not given, the top of the map is taken as the north, bottom as the south, right as the east and left as the west. In between the cardinal points, there are four intermediate directions viz., north-east (NE), north-west (NW), south-east (SE) and south-west (SW).
Do you know the instrument used to find the main directions? It is known as a compass. This instrument was first invented by the Chinese.
Symbol
On maps, we cannot show features like trees, roads, buildings, etc., in their actual form. So different symbols are used to show these features. The use of symbols saves space and more information can be given in a map. These symbols are used all over the world. They are called conventional symbols. Water bodies are shown in blue. Roads and human settlements are indicated in red. Railway lines are shown in black post office and Telegraph office are represented by the letters PO and TO respectively.
If you know these symbols you can read a map of any country even if the language is foreign to you. Every year, tourists from many countries visit India. They do not know our language but they easily collect information from the symbols shown on the map. Thus symbols form an important part of maps.
Maps are of different types. Physical maps show natural features such as mountains, plateaus, plains, rivers and oceans. Political maps show states and countries with their boundaries. Maps showing a particular topic or theme such as rainfall, vegetation, population, etc., are called thematic maps.
Plain and Sketch
A plan is the layout of a building or school. It is also drawn to scale. What is the difference between a plan and a map? A plan shows a small area in great detail such as the length and breadth of various rooms, doors, windows, etc., whereas a map shows only important features of an area. There are thousands of natural and man-made features on the ground. Maps show only some of them.
A sketch is a rough drawing of anything. Maps and plans are drawn to scale but sketches are drawn without scale. Sketch is meant for guidance of someone to locate places. You can draw a sketch of the route leading to your house. With the help of that sketch your friend can locate your house. Nowadays, map-making is done on computers. Computer-generated maps are very sharp and accurate. You will see the difference when you Compare an ancient map with a modern one.
BOSEM Solutions For Class 6 Social Science Chapter 4 Maps
Questions and Answers
Q1. What is meant by cartography?
Ans: the science of map making is known as Cartography
Q2. Name the cardinal points of a map
Ans: East, West, North and South.
Q3. What is an atlas?
Ans: An atlas is a book of maps.
Q4. What are the methods to express a scale?
Ans: We can express scale by a statement like 1cm to 2 km; by a fraction like 1: 2,00,000 (since there is 2,00,000cm in 2 km) or by drawing a graphical or linear scale on the map.
Q5. What is the use of conventional symbols?
Ans: The use of conventional symbols saves space and more information can be given in a map. If we know the symbol, we can read a map of any country even if the language is foreign to us.
Q6. What are the essential components of a map?
Ans: Distance, Direction and Symbol are the three essential components of a map.
Distance is shown by using a scale. East, West, North and South determined the direction of a map. Conventional symbols are used to show different features of a map.
Q7. What is the difference between a map and a plan?
Ans: A map shows only important features of an area a Plan shows a small area in great detail such as the length and breadth of various rooms, doors, windows etc.
Important Points To Remember
👉 A map is a drawing of the earth or a part of it on a piece of paper.
👉 The word map is derived from the Latin word mappa meaning a napkin or cover cloth.
👉 The science of map—making is known as Cartography.
👉 All maps are drawn to scale. A scale shows the relation between the distance on a map and its corresponding distance on the ground.
👉 Small-scale map: When large areas like continents or countries are shown on a small map, it is called a small-scale map e.g. the map of India in an atlas is a small-scale map.
👉 Large-scale map: When a map of the same size (as of small-scale map) shows a part of Imphal or any Other village, it is a small-scale map.
👉 Small-scale maps give us a general picture of a large area without much detail while large-scale maps give us more details about a small area.
👉 Distance, Direction and Symbol are the three essential components of a map.
👉 There are 4 cardinal points on a map i.e. east, west, north and south.
👉 A compass is an instrument used to find the main direction on a map.
👉 A needle of a compass always points to the north.
Symbols showing different features on the map are called conventional symbols.
- Water bodies: Blue colour
- Road and human settlement: Red
- Railway: Black
- Post Office: PO
- Telegraph Office: TO
