A world map is a map of the Earth’s surface, which can be used as a number of ‘map projections’.
World maps usually come in two forms, either ‘Physical’ or ‘Political’. The purpose of the ‘Political Map’ is to demonstrate the ‘territorial borders’, and the intention of the ‘Physical Map’ is to explain geographical features, like soil type, land use, mountains, and hills. Geological maps explain both physical surface as well as the characteristics of the core rock, such as ‘fault lines’ and ’subsurface structures’.
Maps which portray the Earth’s surface, use a projection that is a mode of decoding the three dimensional real surface of the ‘geoids’ to a two dimensional image. ‘Mercator projection’ is one of the best projections of the world map, which is illustrated in the form of ‘nautical chart’.
The ‘Aeronautical graphs’ are used by the pilots. These are based on the ‘Lambert conformal conic projection’, in this chart a cone is placed over the part of the Earth surface to be recorded. The cone overlaps the Earth’s sphere, at more than two parallels, which are selected as specific lines.
This helps pilots to plot a large circular route estimate on a plane’s two dimensional graphs. In this tutorial you will learn how to create a world map.
Things required:
• Printout of a world map
• Visual projection projector
• Transparency
• Pencil
• Chart pencils or paint
• Paper
Instructions:
- Download a sketch of a world map from the Internet. Your map should be of 9″ by 12 1/2″. You can look for map outlines on various world maps from educational sites.
- Create an outline of your map on the transparency. Ensure that you find the type of transparency which will work on a copy machine.
- Hang the chart paper on which you are going to make your world map, on the wall. Tie down the border of the paper, which doesn’t shift with the help of tape. Also, ensure that the wall has an even surface.
- Place the transparency of the world map sketch on an overhead projector. Position the projector at the paper, which you have hung on the wall. Fiddle with the settings so that the sketch of the world map is clear and it is of the size that you desire. With the help of an overhead projector, you can make the world map of just any size and shape, even a world map which you can hang on your wall.
- Shelter the transparency from the projector to prevent it from shifting. With the help of a pencil, make a sketch of the world map on the paper, which you have hung on your wall.
- Once you are done drawing the sketch of the world map, fill color in it and label the countries. If you have made a huge map, then you can paint the countries.
Tips and Warnings
- There are various types of world maps. You can also make a world population map.
- You can also, create a wall map by pointing the projector on your wall without using the paper wrapper and depicting it straight on the wall.
- You can depict the world map on just about anything. Canvas can be a good option.
- Ensure that there is no light in the room while tracing the world map so that you would be able to see the lines well.
- Creating a world map is a vast group project if the map is big enough.
- Think about inserting pictures on the continents to make the world map look unique.
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