What is a map? IFORNIA CAL 267 28 IFORNIA CAL 89 Ta h o e IFORNIA CAL 28 National Forest Tahoe To i y a b e National El Dorado National Forest Forest Pacific Crest Trail Major Roads National Park State Park Wilderness Area 50 Other Land Use IFORNIA CAL 89 How Cartographers Use Symbols Cartographers use different symbols on maps to represent real features from the world. Three common types of symbols are point symbols, line symbols and area symbols. Cartographers use point symbols to show exactly where one thing (a school or a hospital) is located on the map. The symbol is usually a dot or a picture. When a feature is long and in the shape of a line, cartographers use line symbols to represent these things. On the map, a blue line is used for a river and a black line is used for a road. When something on a map is not a specific point, but rather a whole area, a cartographer uses an area symbol. These symbols shade an area to represent places such as forests, urban areas, and oceans. 6 California Geographic Alliance ©2010 0 2 Miles The sources and credits for this map are listed at http://humboldt.edu/cga/atlas-sources-credits. Note that this map is an 11x14 page, and not meant for 8.5x11 printing or use. 50 Lake
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