NCERT Solutions for Chapter 4 Maps Class 6 Geography
An earth map is a representation of a part of the surface of the earth showed on a flat surface at a particular scale. Large portions of the earth are detailed on maps. There is a lot of information in a plan about a small area. There are three types of maps. Political maps represent cities, towns, villages, countries, and states of the world along with their borders. The physical map represents natural features on earth such as mountains, plateaus, plains, rivers, and oceans. The other name of physical map is relief map. A thematic map shows specific information regarding a specific area, such as population distribution, locations of industries, soil distribution, climate conditions, and air and railway routes. There are four cardinal directions or cardinal points: north, east, south, and west. These directions are commonly denoted by their initials: N, E, S, W. Besides these, there are four intermediate directions: north-east (NE), southeast (SE), south-west (SW) and north-west (NW). On a map, conventional symbols contain colours, signs, and symbols representing information about mountains, rivers, peaks, bridges, forts, airports, dams, and roads.
Chapter Name | Maps NCERT Solutions |
Class | CBSE Class 6 |
Textbook Name | Geography |
Related Readings |
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Question 1 A: What are the three components of a map?
Answer
There are three basic components of a map. They are
- Distance- from one place or object to other in defined measurements.
- Directions- There are four basic directions in a map East, West, North and South. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West.
- Symbols- In place of giving long descriptions, big names or words in different languages, some marks, characters or images are used as a convenient representation of certain fixed objects. It called as Symbol. e.g. "N" is the symbol for North, "E" is symbol for East.
Question 1 B: What are the four cardinal directions?
Answer
When we see a map or a globe and want to find out the direction of a place from a given point we use the 4 main points defined on the compass i.e., North, South, East and West. They are the four cardinal directions or cardinal points. Their initials are N, S, E and W. Excluding these four there are four ordinal directions, namely, North-east (NE), South-east (SE), South-west (SW), North-west (NW).
Question 1 C: What do you mean by the term 'the scale of the map'?
Answer
A map is a picture of a big area of land or a small area on a flat surface. For example, we can see the picture of a football field in one page of book. We can take 1 m = 1 cm or 1 km = 1 cm or 1000 km = 1 cm or 10000 km = 1 cm to show the map of a large area on a smaller area. When this is done on the map it is called as the Scale of a Map and it is clearly defined as the relationship or ratio between the actual distance on the land to the distance given on a map.
Question 1 D: How are maps more helpful than a globe?
Answer
1) Maps can be rolled, tri-fold, four-fold, etc. so they can be easily carried or transferred whereas a globe cannot be folded and it takes more space. A globe is delicate so it can break so it is difficult to transfer or carry.
2) Maps are straight and can be spread on a flat surface so you can get a complete view of the earth at once. On the other hand, in a globe you get only half or lesser view of the earth, so to get an informative view you have to rotate the globe a number of times.
3) Due to the flat surface of a map, it is easier to calculate the scale but it is difficult to calculate the scale on a curved surface i.e. a globe.
4) Because of the flat view of a map, it is easier to understand where each country, continent or ocean lies in relation to each other, this is not possible in a globe due to its shape.
5) A globe is more helpful in understanding the movement of the earth i.e. rotation and revolution and the reason for the occurrence of day and night. This cannot be explained in a map.
Question 1 E: Distinguish between a map and a plan.
Answer
Map is the drawing of a large surface such as the earth, a country or a city on a flat surface according to the required scale.
A small part of a map drawn on a larger-scale is called a plan. A plan is helpful when we want to find out detailed information about an area.
Question 1 F: Which map provides detailed information?
Answer
A large scale map that uses various symbols, size chart, defined colors, shades, pictures and symbols, and direction to display a small area on a bigger scale provides more information. For example, a map showing the colony you are living in will use a large scale such as 10 cm = 1000 km, on a large scale map to give more detailed information.
Question 1 G: How do symbols help in reading maps?
Answer
The best way to read maps or directions is to take help of symbols. You can easily locate a particular landmark or a direction with the help of symbols such as lines, shapes, shades or colors. Symbols are marks or special characters which have been internationally agreed by all the countries. They are known as conventional symbols.
Question 2 A: Tick the correct answer.
Maps showing distribution of forests are
A. Physical map
B. Thematic Map
C. Political map
Answer
The maps that display specific data and information based on a theme, such as the average rainfall distribution of an area or the power projects and dams in an area. These maps do not depict only the natural features but make use of background information to enhance the theme of a map.
Question 2 B: Tick the correct answer.
The blue color is used for showing
A. Water bodies
B. Mountains
C. Plains
Answer
Certain colors have been internationally agreed by cartographers to depict physical features on a map. Blue color is used to depict water bodies such as lakes, rivers, streams, water bodies and oceans in a map.
Question 2 C: Tick the correct answer.
A compass is used -
A. To show symbols
B. To find the main direction
C. To measure distance
Answer
Compass is an instrument used to find the main direction on a map. It has a magnetic needle which always points towards the North-south direction, which is the main direction on a map. If we know the North-south direction, we can easily find out about the other directions. It is also used by sailors for navigation.
Question 2 D: Tick the correct answer.
A scale is necessary
A. For a map
B. For a sketch
C. For symbols
Answer
The scale of a map is the relationship or ratio between the actual distance on the land to the distance given on a map. It is necessary to depict the landforms in the right proportion as well as to calculate the actual distance between any two places on the map.