The Varieties and Uses of Maps

Support the spread of “good practice” in generating, managing, analysing and communicating spatial information

The Varieties and Uses of Maps

By: Mac Chapin

Unit: M07U03

Types of maps and their uses• Navigation (countryside or cities) • Political maps showing borders • Distribution of vegetation, rainfall, agricultural

exploitation, population density or ethnic groups• Protected areas and buffer zones • Deforestation • Mining and petroleum operations • Areas of conflict and civil war

Representation of the world

National boundaries

Provincial boundaries

Road map

Forest cover

Protected areas

European claims in Africa

Concessions

Logging

Deforestation

Aboriginal Australia

Linguistic map

Map of Guatemala and Belize

Indigenous people and the environment

Kuna map

Kuna sector map

New Guinea map

Community map

Land-use map

Conclusion• Maps have many uses• Maps used to be exclusive to elites• Maps are increasingly used by indigenous

people to defend their rights