Further skills in map reading and map use

Further skills in map reading and map use

Introduction
In Senior One, you learnt that a map is a representation of physical and human features of a particular area on a sheet of paper as seen, drawn and printed from above using symbols. You also learnt about maps, their uses and different types of scales. In this chapter you are going to learn how to use large scale
maps or survey maps to find out about areas.
Meaning of Contours
In Senior One you learnt about using contours to tell the nature of relief of an area.
When you look at the landscape layout in the area near your school or home you
will observe that the landscape layout is not of the same height.
What features can you identify in the area? Use of contours is one of the methods used to show physical features and altitude on a map.
Contours are imaginary lines which cannot be seen on the earth’s surface with a human eye. You can remember other imaginary lines you learnt about in geography and share with your neighbour. After doing tasks in activity 19.1, you will understand more about contours and how they are used to show relief of an area.

Activity 19.1 Understanding contours
In groups do the following tasks.
1.Create a heap of soil.
2.Place a ruler upright on the heap of soil and using a stick, spot and mark different heights using 2 cm interval.
3.Record them carefully until the top most part is reached.
4.Move to the opposite side of the heap of soil and do the same thing, following the same interval.
5.Join marks made at 2 cm interval on the heap of soil and then join them to make circles around it.
6.Look from right above the heap of soil and you will be in position to see the circles around it at all one time.
(a) What do you understand by the term a contour?
(b) How are contours numbered?
(c) Present your work to the rest of the class through a discussion

You have learnt that relief on a map is described by interpreting the nature Of contours and spot heights. Contours are numbered depending on the vertical interval of a particular map. Contours are numbered in an increasing order. You can remember what you learnt in Senior One.

Describing an area from a survey map
In Senior One, you learnt that among the qualities of a good map is a key. you further learnt that a key describes what is shown on the map.
It is important to note that when describing features of an area shown on a survey map, you identify the feature and the part of the map where it is found. After doing tasks in activity 19.2, you will discover how features found in an area shown on a map are described.

Activity 19.2
Discovering features found in an area shown on a map
In groups, study an area around your school and do the following tasks.
1 Find out the physical features found in the area.
2 Draw a sketch map of the area around your school and on it mark and name the physical features you have observed in (1).
3 Exchange your work with other groups for comments.
4 Present your work with the rest of the class through a discussion.

You have found out that the appearance of the landscape in the area around your school is not uniform. There may be a number of features. Such features form the general appearance of the area. This is called the relief of the area. Relief is represented on a map by the arrangement of imaginary lines. These imaginary lines are drawn joining places of the same height above sea level. These lines are called contours.
The area around your school might be having water resources such as lakes, rivers and streams, swamps, ponds, water holes, borehole, wells and springs. These are called drainage features. They are represented differently using different symbols. How are they represented on a map?
You might have come across other features which are not natural but were created
by people through their activities. These are called human made features. What
are some of these features? They are shown on a map using different symbols.
You might have noted that the area around your school has different vegetation types. There are two main types of vegetation; natural and planted vegetation. It also has people settled on it. A settlement pattern is a plan or layout of settlement on a particular landscape. Settlement of an area can be linear, scattered planned or grouped. Which one did you observe? After doing tasks in activity 19.3, you will
be able to identify features from a survey map.

1.dentify the following features shown on the map in figure
(a) Relief features.
(b) Drainage features. (c) Vegetation types.
(d) Transport routes
(e) Types of Settlements.
2.Exchange your work with other groups for comments.
3.Present your work to the rest of the class through a discussion.

You have found out how the different features on the map of Namwendwa are represented. The identification of these is made possible by the use of contour lines. Identifying Human aspects on a survey map
Using survey maps, we can identify economic activities taking place in an area shown on it. These economic activities are not so different from the ones carried out in your area or that you have ever visited. You can now make a list of economic activities carried out in the area where you live.
Since a map is a representation of part or the whole of the earth’s surface on paper what you see on a map represents what is on the actual earth surface.

This explains why in geography you can as well study a survey map and tell the problems faced by people living in the area shown on that very map extract. In life people always want to develop new things using the available resources. This means that every area on the eartlis surface has a potential for development. The potential is the prospect for development. After doing tasks in activity 19.4, you will
be able to understand human aspects on a survey map.

Activity 19.4
Identifying economic activities in an area shown on a map extract
1 Giving evidence from the map in figure 19.2,
(a) Identify the economic activities carried out by the people of Masaka.
(b) (i) Identify the problems faced by people living in the area shown on the map.
(ii) Giving evidence from the survey map, why do you think people living in this area are experiencing these problems?
(iii) As a geographer, what kind of advice can you give to these people to overcome the problems in (1).
(c) (i) Identify the prospects for development of the area shown on map extract.
(ii) Why do you think people living in this area need to develop it?
2 Exchange your work with another group and make comments
3 Present your work to the rest of the class through a discussion.

You have realised that some economic activities found in the area where you stay are similar to those identified from the area shown on the map of Masaka. These activities are evidenced by different symbols for example livestock farming evidenced by symbols of dairy farms and cattle dips. While tourism can be
evidenced by national and game parks.
You have realised that problems facing people in an area shown on map may be similar to the problems facing people in the area where you live. This explains why a map is a true representation of part or the whole of the earth’s surface.
It is important to support the problems given with evidence from the map extract. You have learnt that plans to carry out activities in an area when natural resources are put into use are known as prospects.

It is important to support the prospects given with evidence for example irrigation can take place due to the presence of a river or a swamp, mining can take place due to the presence of a rock outcrop.
Relationships between different features on survey maps

Features are interrelated in our daily life. Think of such features relating to each other in your community. Using survey map s you can also tell the relationship between different features. These relationships can be human to physical, physical to physical and human to human.

Describing Relationships between different features on survey maps
You could have realised that physical features are connected in one way or the other. For example in the area where you live or around your school, there might be a feature which influences the other. A river flowing through a river valley means that the valley dictates that a river flows through it.

You could have noted that human features and physical features are connected in one way or the other. For example in the area where you live or around your school, you might have seen people setting up farm structures on gentle slopes or developing fish ponds in a valley or swamp.
You could have noted that human features are connected to each other to each in one way or the other. For example roads attract trade and commerce. You will realise such and many other relationships between features on survey maps after doing tasks in activity 19.5.

Describing Relationships between different features on
Activity 19.5
survey maps
In groups, study the map extract of Bugondo in figure 19.5 and do the tasks that follow
1 Describe the relationship between;
(g) Relief and vegetation
(a) Relief and drainage
(b) Relief and settlement
(h) Relief and transport
(c) Drainage and vegetation (i) Drainage and transport
(d) Drainage and settlement (j) Settlement and transport
(e) Transport and trade
(k) Settlement and communication
(f) Drainage and communication
2 Swap your work with other groups for comments.
3 Present your work to the rest of the class through a discussion.

Drawing sketch maps from survey maps
In Senior One you learnt that everything found in our environment can be drawn on a map or it can be sketched in form of a map. A sketch map is a drawing of anything. It can be of a classroom or a compound, a village, country or even the whole world. Sketches can be drawn when one looks at a map. In Art and Design, you look at objects and draw them out and call that a sketch. In geography too you can draw a sketch map from a survey map or topographical map. This helps you to understand
more about the areas. When drawing a sketch map, follow the following steps.

(i) Study the survey map given. This will help you determine the shape of the map to be drawn.
(ii) Count the boxes of the map both horizontally and vertically to determine the shape of the sketch to be drawn.
(iii) Draw an outline with a similar shape on a piece of paper
(iv) Plot on it the major grids; these are the thick lines on the survey map and name them. These guide you on where features will be marked.
(v) Using a pencil draw out the features in the outline trying as much as possible to follow their shapes and locations.

Drawing a sketch map from a survey map
In groups, study the map of Chepsikunya in figure 19.6 and do the tasks that follow
1 Draw a sketch map of the area shown on the map extract and on it mark
and name the following;
(a) All weather surface roads
(d) Two seasonal swamps
(b) Any two hills
(e) Papyrus swamps
(c) Rivers Kiriki and Cheborom (f) Settlements
2 Present your work to the rest of the class through a discussion.

You have realised that sketch maps are clearer than the original survey map. This is because a sketch map contains a few features. All the elements of a good map should be included on the sketch drawn.
Drawing a Cross-section from a Contour map
A cross-section is a diagram that represents the nature of relief of a particular area as viewed along a given line. It clearly shows changes in relief, such as the ascending and descending sections, the rugged and smooth areas as well as the steep and flat areas. It presents the outline of the land as it would be seen from sideways.

This should be by taking the following steps:
Step 1: Locate the points between which you are going to draw the cross-section.
step 2: Take a pencil and a ruler and draw a line joining two points, A and B on the map extract between which you want to draw a cross-section.
step 3: Take a piece of paper that has a straight edge and place the straight edge between the two points.
Step 4: Put a mark on the paper wherever a contour line touches the edge of the paper, and write the height of the contour at each mark.
Step 5: On a graph paper, draw a horizontal line representing the distance between the two points and write down the value of each contour.
step 6: Draw a veåical line that represents the contour heights found between the Wo points.
step 7: Calculate the amplitude of the area drawn. This helps you to obtain the vertical scale to be used in cross section drawing.
Step 8: Mark out the heights on the vertical axis using the vertical scale.

Step 9: Place the paper edge along the horizontal axis and, starting from the left to right, plot the contour heights that you have marked on the paper using faint dots.
step 10:Transfer the contour heights information on to the vertical line.

sample cross s After doing tasks in activity 19.7, you will learn more about drawing a cross section.

Activity 19.7
Understanding how to draw a cross section
In groups, study the map of lake Nakivale in figure 19.10, and do the tasks that follow.

1 Draw a cross section between grid reference 620070 and 700070 and on it mark and name

(a) Dry weather road (b) Rivers (c) Kibengo settlements (d) Foot paths (e) Boundary

2 What is the difference between digitally drawn landscape and the hand drawn landscape profiles?

3 Identify the differences between the cross section you have in Senior One and the one you have drawn in this chapter.

4 Compare your work with your neighbour, and present it to the teacher for further guidance.

Importance of survey maps in studying geography
You have found out that survey maps are very useful in people’s lives. They help to show the relationship between features. They can also help you to identify the economic development of an area. You are going to learn more about the importance of survey maps after doing tasks in activity 19.8.

Discovering the importance of survey maps
1.Carry out a text book or internet research and find out other uses of survey maps in studying geography.
2.Write a report about your findings.
3.Present your findings to the rest of the class through a discussion.

Chapter Summary
In this chapter you have learnt that;
Contours are imaginary lines drawn on a map joining places of the same height above sea level.
The use of contours is one of the methods used to show physical features and altitude on a map.
Relief on the map is described by interpreting the nature of contours and spot heights. It is important to note that when describing features of an area shown on a
survey map, you are supposed to identify the feature and the part of the map where it is located.
A cross-section is a diagram that represents the nature of relief of a particular area as viewed along a given line.
You can use survey maps to describe the relief, drainage, vegetation, farming, settlements, transport and other human activities in an area.