Page 63 - Geosystems An Introduction to Physical Geography 4th Canadian Edition

Chapter 1 Essentials of Geography 27
Representative fraction:
Written scale: Graphic scale:
1:250 000 or 1/250 000 1 cm = 2.5 km
0 5 KILOMETRES
(a) Relatively small scale map of Ottawa, Ontario, (b) Relatively large scale map of part of the area shows less detail. in (a) shows a higher level of detail.
▲Figure 1.21 Map scale. Examples of maps at different scales, with three common expressions of map scale—representative fraction, written scale, and graphical scale.
map distorts these properties. Therefore, in preparing a flat map, the cartographer must decide which character- istic to preserve, which to distort, and how much distor- tion is acceptable. To understand this problem, consider these important properties of a globe:
• Parallels always are parallel to each other, always are evenly spaced along meridians, and always decrease in length toward the poles.
• Meridians always converge at both poles and always are evenly spaced along any individual parallel.
• The distance between meridians decreases toward poles, with the spacing between meridians at the 60th parallel equal to one-half the equatorial spacing.
• Parallels and meridians always cross each other at right angles.
The problem is that all these qualities cannot be re- produced simultaneously on a flat surface. Simply taking a globe apart and laying it flat on a table illustrates the challenge faced by cartographers (Figure 1.22). You can see the empty spaces that open up between the sections,
or gores, of the globe. This reduction of the spherical Earth to a flat surface is a map projection, and no flat map projection of Earth can ever have all the features of a globe. Flat maps always possess some degree of distor- tion—much less for large-scale maps representing a few kilometres, much more for small-scale maps covering in- dividual countries, continents, or the entire world.
Equal Area or True Shape? There are four general classes of map projections, shown in Figure 1.23. The best projection is always determined by the intended use of the map. The major decisions in selecting a map pro- jection involve the properties of equal area (equivalence) and true shape (conformality). A decision favouring one property sacrifices the other, for they cannot be shown together on the same flat map.
If a cartographer selects equal area as the desired trait—for example, for a map showing the distribution of world climates—then true shape must be sacrificed by stretching and shearing, which allow parallels and meridians to cross at other than right angles. On an
Representative fraction:
Written scale: Graphic scale:
1:50 000 or 1/50 000 1 cm = 500 m
0 1 KILOMETRE