Topo map package w images

Topographical map resource package Sec 4E/5N Geography Elective
Topographical map
Basic elements of a topographical map

Grid lines
• Vertical grid lines are called eastings.
• Horizontal grid lines are called northings.
Grid references
• 4-figure grid references
• 6-figure grid references
The 4-figure grid reference of the school is ___________.
The 6-figure grid reference of the school is ___________.

Map scales
A scale is the ratio between a given map distance and the actual ground distance.
• Linear scale
Eg:
• Representative fraction
Eg: 1: 50000
• Statement scale
Eg: 1cm on the map represents a distance of 0.5km on the ground
A map which represents a small area of land but which shows a lot of details is called
a large scale map.
A map which shows a large area of land but which shows few details is called a small
scale map.
Measurement of distances
Straight line distance
1. Use a ruler to measure the distance.
2. Convert the measured distance to actual distance according to the scale of the
map.
Curved distance
1. Use a string and follow the distance.
2. Place the string against the ruler to measure the distance.
3. Convert the measured distance to actual distance according to the scale of the
map.

Directions
A compass helps us to find direction of a place from another.
Eg: What is the direction of A from B?
A
B
The direction is WNW.

Bearings
A bearing is a compass direction measured in degree clockwise from the North arrow.
1. Draw a line to join the two features.
2. Draw a North arrow from the feature where you are from.
3. Measure the angle clockwise from the North arrow.
Eg: Find the compass bearing of Point A from Point B.
A
B
Representing relief features
Contour is a line on a map which joins all points having the same height above and
below mean sea level.
Contours can show: Shape of the feature
Height of the feature
Slopes of the feature
Vertical interval/ Contour interval is the vertical difference in height between two
adjacent contours.

Types of slope
1. Steep slope : the contours are close together
2. Gentle slope: the contours are widely spaced apart
3. Concave: the contours become closer as height increases.
4. Convex: the contours become further apart as height increases
5. Uniform: the spaces between the contours remain the same
6. Stepped: wide contour spacing alternates with narrow contour spacing

Gradient
Gradient refers to the steepness of a slope.
A gradient can be written as a ratio between the vertical distance relative to the
horizontal distance.
1. Measure the horizontal distance
2. Convert the horizontal distance to metres according to the scale
3. Calculate the vertical distance by looking at the contour lines
4. Use the formula: Gradient = Vertical distance
Horizontal distance
Working:
Features of the Physical Environment
There are three main types of features in the physical environment.
• Relief features
• Drainage features
• Coastal features
Relief Features
Col: A depression between 2 peaks or ridges

Escarpment/ Scarp: A steep, almost continuous slope facing one direction
Hill: A small piece of rounded highland usually less than 600m above sea level

Mountain: A large steep-sided piece of highland which ends in a summit or peak
usually higher than 600m above sea level
Plateau: A fairly flat piece of elevated land

Ridge: A narrow piece of elevated land
Drainage features
Braided river: A river that is separated into many channels and form a network.
(Usually in the lower course)

Gorge: A deep and narrow valley with side which are almost vertical.

Floodplain: A lowland bordering a river.

V- shaped valley: A river cuts downwards into the riverbed and erodes it vertically.
Features in the physical environment

Describe and Annotate Cross Sections
Cross-section of topography map
Annotate the following on the cross-section of the topography map.
A: Valley
B: Steepest slope
C: Highest peak
Human environment

Components of human environment
• Agriculture
• Industry
• Settlements and communications
The function of a settlement refers to the main activity of the settlement. These can
be inferred by looking at evidences from the map.
Examples of function
• Port
A port is a settlement on a coast, river which develops trading activities.
Evidences to look out for: Ports, coasts
• Industrial Town
An industrial town is a settlement which has industrial activities. These activities
may develop because the settlement is near to a source of fuel energy, raw
materials or near to a large population which acts as a market.
Evidences to look out for: Fuel energy, Factories
• Agricultural Town
An agricultural town is usually located in an area where crops are grown or
livestock are reared, or where agricultural products are processed and marketed.
Evidences to look out for: Cultivation, plantations
• Residential Town
A residential town appears on a map as an extensive area of houses plus
associated buildings like schools, hospitals, religious buildings.
Evidences to look out for: Facilities, housing
Settlement Patterns

Dispersed settlement pattern
Buildings are scattered giving an open appearance. This type of pattern is usually
found in areas that have a sparse population. Eg: Rural areas
Linear settlement pattern
Buildings are located along a footpath, road, railway or a river. This is also fairly
common in rural areas.
Nucleated settlement pattern

Buildings are close together forming a compact pattern. There is usually a well-
developed transportation network. This pattern often develops at cross roads.

Guidelines in answering map related questions
Description of relief
1. Give the range of height of the relief of the area.
2. State the height of the highest point
3. Describe the relief ( Mountainous, hilly)
4. Point out any relief features that stand out in the area
5. Describe the slope in the area (Concave, convex, uniform, stepped, steep,
gently sloping)
Description of river course
1. State the direction of river flow (From source to mouth)
2. State the course of the river (Upper, middle, lower course)
3. Describe the river course (Meandering, straight, braiding)
4. Describe the river features found along the river
5. Give map evidences in the form of grid squares or grid lines.
Description of coastal zone
1. Describe the shape of the coast
2. Describe the gradient of the coast (Steep or gentle)
3. Describe the features of the coast.
4. Highlight features such as cliffs, headlands, bays, beaches, swamps and corals.
5. Give map evidences in the form of grid squares or grid lines
Description of human landscape
1. Describe the settlement pattern (dispersed, linear, nucleated)
2. State whether the settlement is urban or rural
3. Describe the location and distribution of settlement in relation to relief
4. Describe the human activities taking place in the map. (Agriculture, industry,
commercial)
5. Describe the pattern of communications in relation to relief and settlement.

After completion of this map reading package, you should be able to
Skills Tick if you are confident
with the skill
Giving 4-figure and 6-figure grid references
Giving directions and compass bearings
Measuring distances
(Curved or straight)
Calculate Gradient
Identify the landforms from the contour
Briefly describe the relief of a map
Briefly describe the river course of a map
Briefly describe patterns and location of vegetation,
land use and communication
Infer the human activities from map evidence

Pont Colville

Port Morant

Practice 1
Refer to the map of Pont Colville, 1:25 000 and answer the following question
1) What is the six-figure grid reference of the water tank? [1m]
2) Describe the relief of the area between Northings 77 & 79. [4m]
3) Describe the river flow bounded between Northing 77 & 78. [2m]
4) Identify a possible development of an ox-bow lake in this river. Give the
six figure grid reference of where the ox-bow lake will be. [1m]
5) Find the bearing of the water tank from the cemetery along Grand Bassin Road.
[1m]
6) Using map evidence to support your answer, describe the main economic
activity that people in Pont Colville is involved in. [3m]
Practice 2
Refer to the map of Port Morant, 1:50 000 and answer the following questions
1) Describe the coastal zone in Port Morant. [4m]
2) Calculate the gradient of the Clifton Hill between the spot height 248m in
176397 and the spot height 140m in 189393. [2m]
3) Describe the course of Plantain Garden River as shown in this section of the
map. [3m]
45
43
20 26

Practice 3
Moshi, Tanzania
Refer to the map of Moshi, Tanzania, 1:50,000 and answer the following questions.
1) Describe the distribution of natural vegetation to the north of northing 33. [3m]
2) What is the compass direction of Weruweru School at grid reference 0633 from
Kibsho School at grid reference 1236? [1m]
3) Describe the river flow in the area bounded by easting 10 and 14 and northing 31
and 36. [2m]
4) Calculate the gradient between the trigonometrical stations in grid squares 1130
and 1132. [2m]
Marsiling Secondary Prelims 2010

Practice 4
Victoria Falls
1 With reference to the map of Victoria Falls, describe the likely impacts
of deforestation in the area shown in Fig. 2. [5m]
75 80
32 ___________________________32
26___________________________26
2
Study the map of Victoria Falls. Using map evidence, describe the
relief and drainage basin of the area surrounding the Masuwe River in
the southern section of the map.
[4m]
Queenstown Secondary 2009
3a. (i) Refer to the topographical map, Victoria Falls(Zimbabwe).
State the most distinctive physical feature found on this part of the map and
describe how this feature may be formed. [5]
78 85
18 18
10 10
78 85
(ii) Describe the drainage pattern of the area bounded by eastings 69
to 72 and northings 22 to 25. [2]
Bendemeer Secondary 2009

Practice 5
Savanna-La-Mar (Jamaica)
Refer to the 1:50 000 map extract of Savanna-La-Mar (Jamaica).
(1) Name the coastal management strategy used in the part of the map
indicated in the grid area below. Explain how it can protect the coast.
22 26
[2]
(2) Besides coastal protection, account for the other benefits of the coastal
management strategy mentioned in 2(b)(i)
[4]
Crescent Girls’ School 2009
79
76

ANSWERS TO PRACTICES (Teacher’s Copy Only)
Practice 1
1) What is the six-figure grid reference of the water tank? [1m]
Ans: 039778
2) Describe the relief of the area between Northings 77 & 79. [4m]
Ans: The height of the area ranges from 330m (0477) to 520m (0078).
The relief is steeper in the area west of easting 03 as can be seen by the
contours close and gets gentler together from east of easting 04. Spacing
between the contours is wider.
3) Describe the river flow bounded between Northing 77 & 78. [2m]
Ans: The river is flowing from west to east but turns to south at 0376.
The river meanders more in 0077 & 0177 but is flowing in a straight
channel 0277 & 0377.
4) Identify a possible development of an ox-bow lake in this river. Give the
six figure grid reference of where the ox-bow lake will be.
Ans: 017774
5) Find the bearing of the water tank from the cemetery along Grand Bassin Road.
[1m]
Ans: 35 degrees
6) Using map evidence to support your answer, describe the main economic
activity that people in Pont Colville is involved in. [3m]
Ans: The people in Pont Colville are cultivating tea as can be seen by the large
areas of tea cultivation in the West of the Grand Bassin Road and North of
Savanne Road. There are also 3 tea factories along the main roads.

Practice 2
1) Describe the coastal zone in Port Morant. [4m]
Ans: The coast is low-lying with several small bays, (1934), (2335) and 1 large
bay Port Morant. The gradient of the coast is gentle. Several coral reefs fringe
the coast, (2135). There are some beaches formed by sand error or gravel in
grid squares 2335 & 2536.
2) Calculate the gradient of the Clifton Hill between the spot height 248m in
176397 and the spot height 140m in 189393.
3) Describe the course of Plantain Garden River as shown in this section of the
map. [3m]
Ans: Plantain Garden River flows from West and East and is joined by
by the Indian Cony River in 2143. The river is flowing on a low-lying plain of 10-
20m.
Practice 3
1 Describe the distribution of natural vegetation to the north of northing
33. [3]
- There is the presence of only one type of natural vegetation, woodland
clustered in 2 main areas. [1]
- The first area is bounded by easting 36 and northing 10 and the
vegetation is found above 1040m. [1]
- The second area is bounded by easting 10 and 13 and northing 33 and
39 and the vegetation is found above 980m. [1]
3
2 What is the compass direction of Weruweru School at grid reference
0633 from Kibsho School at grid reference 1236? [1]
- The direction is southwest. [1]
1
3 Describe the river flow in the area bounded by easting 10 and 14 and
northing 31 and 36. [2]
- The river is flowing in a southeast direction [1] from the highlands of
1060m in grid square 1035 to the lower lands of 940m in grid square
1131. [1]
- The drainage pattern is dendritic [1] as is evident in grid square
1232/1234.[1]
- Two tributaries, Umbwe and Oosw [1], join the main river Karanga at grid
2
45
43
20 26

square 1232.[1]
(Any 1 point)
4 Calculate the gradient between the trigonometrical stations in grid
squares 1130 and 1132. [2]
- Gradient = Vertical Distance / Horizontal Distance
= (1068 – 931m) / 3.6cm x 500m [1]
= 137 / 1800
= 1:13 [1]
2
Practice 4
1 • Deforestation affects the nutrient cycle greatly. Lesser leaf litter leads to less
decomposed material and thus, fertility is replaced at a slower rate.
• Vegetation provides a protective cover for the soil. The absence of vegetation will
expose the soil to agents of erosion, especially running water.
• Deforestation will lead to a higher rate of surface runoffs. This may lead to
flooding. There might be flooding in Livingstone e.g. in GS 7726 and 7625, as the
build-up is next to a river.
• Increase in surface runoff also leads to excessive soil leaching, nutrients are being
washed deeper into the soil and the nutrient cycle is greatly interrupted.
• The water level in the two (e.g. GS 7531) lakes may decrease. Since there is less
transpiration, the amount of water vapour in the air is also reduced. This will result
in less precipitation.
There must be at least two inferences to the map details, failing to do so, max 3m.
2 Relief
• This area is rather gentle sloping as the contours are relatively far apart.
• It is on a highland and the height of the area is about 900m above sea level.
• Any others.
River
• The river is fast flowing. There are several rapids such as those found in grid
square 7613.
• The river is flowing in a NE direction and then towards the east to join the main
river.
• The river is meandering and likely to be fast flowing as it is at the upper course.
• Any others.
2
2
3ai)
• Feature = a gorge.
• A river flows through an area of resistant rocks on its sides
• Erosion is more effective vertically than laterally
• Over time, vertical erosion deepens the channel
• A narrow, deep, steep sided valley is formed such as Songwe Gorge (grid
square 8013)/ Second Gorge/ Third Gorge (grid square 7817)/ Fourth Gorge
(grid square 7816)/ Fifth Gorge (grid square 7815), Daoma Gorge (grid square
7812)
ii) Describe the drainage pattern of the area bounded by eastings 69

to 72 and northings 22 to 25. [2]
• Dendritic Pattern
• It is flowing in Southeast direction towards the Zambezi river
Practice 5
Refer to the 1:50 000 map extract of Savanna-La-Mar (Jamaica).
1 Name the coastal management strategy used in the part of the map
indicated in the grid area below. Explain how it can protect the coast.
22 26
1 mark for identification
• Mangroves
1 mark for explanation of function as a coastal defense measure
• The prop roots and kneed roots of mangrove trees anchor the trees
firmly in the muddy soil, binding the loose soil and helping to trap
sediments, thus reducing coastal erosion.
OR
• Mangroves also form a buffer or protection zone between the coastal
settlements and the sea such that storm surges and strong waves
break against the mangroves, thus reducing the erosive impact of the
waves.
[2]
79
76

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