NW+ES
Use cardinal and intercardinal directions to describe one place relative to another.
Geographic Skills · 03
Map Skills
Learn to locate accurately, read spatial patterns and turn maps into geographic evidence.
LocateInterpretAnalyseEvidence
N↑
13°45′N100°30′EBangkok · locate precisely
Your learning route
1Location
2Grid references
3Scale & distance
4Relief & contours
5Thematic maps
01
FOUNDATION
Location: say exactly where
Geographers need a shared language for position. Begin with direction, then move to latitude and longitude so you can describe relative and absolute location accurately.
LATITUDE ↔LONGITUDE ↕
Latitude comes first, then longitude. Include the hemisphere: N/S and E/W.
WorldCountryRegionCity
Choose a useful scale and use named places. “Southeast Asia” and “Bangkok” communicate different levels of detail.
Quick habitWhen you meet a new case study, locate it before you learn what happens there.
Try itLocate Bangkok, Sydney and New York. For each, give a compass relationship to another place and an approximate latitude/longitude.
02
PRECISION
Grid references: along, then up
Grid references give a precise location on a gridded map. Always read eastings first, then northings.
VISUAL GUIDE
Four & six-figure grid references
Start with the square, then increase precision. Remember: eastings first, northings second — along the corridor, then up the stairs.
Four figures identify a grid square. Six figures estimate tenths within that square to pinpoint a feature.
EASTINGS →
NORTHINGS →
1122
Along the corridor → then up the stairs ↑
4 FIGURE1122
Identifies the whole grid square. Read the easting on the left edge, then the northing on the bottom edge.
6 FIGURE113226
Add a third digit to each coordinate by estimating tenths across and tenths up the square. This pinpoints a feature.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Six-Figure Grid Reference Challenge
Use the map key, identify the features, then move from four-figure to six-figure references. Check your work with the answer page.
Open practice sheet ↗Self-check: what order are the digits in a six-figure reference?
Three digits for the easting, then three digits for the northing. Read along first, then up.
03
MEASUREMENT
Scale & distance: map to real world
Scale is the relationship between distance on a map and distance on the ground. Always keep the units visible while you calculate.
0123 km
STEP 1Measure
→Find the map distance with a ruler or the scale bar.
STEP 2Convert
→Apply the stated scale and convert units carefully.
STEP 3Sense-check
Ask whether the final distance is realistic for the mapped area.
Try itMeasure one straight-line distance and one curved route. Show your working and include the correct real-world units.
04
PHYSICAL MAPS
Topographic maps, relief & contours
Topographic maps turn a three-dimensional landscape into a readable two-dimensional map. Read the key, spot heights and contour interval before interpreting relief.
Contour intervalThe vertical difference in height between neighbouring contour lines.
SlopeCompare contour spacing: close = steep, wide = gentle.
ValleysContour V-shapes normally point upstream where they cross a valley.
Try itOn a topographic map, identify the highest point, a steep slope, a gentle slope and a valley. Support each choice with map evidence.
05
THEMATIC MAPS & EXAM SKILL
Read patterns, quantify & explain
Thematic maps turn data into spatial patterns. Learn to recognise the map type, describe the pattern, quantify it, identify anomalies and suggest geographic reasons.
Relief, height, drainage, settlement and land use
Rates or values shaded by area
Lines joining places with equal values
Distribution and concentration of a phenomenon
Movement between places
Symbol size represents quantity
Map-reading checklistTitleLegendScaleDirectionUnitsDate/source
Turn the map into evidence
01Locate
Where is the pattern? Name places, directions and scale.
02Describe
State the overall pattern before zooming into detail.
03Support
Use values, named places and contrasts as evidence.
04Notice
Identify an anomaly or exception that matters.
05Explain
Link the spatial pattern to relevant geographic processes.
UPGRADE YOUR LANGUAGE
“It is high in the north.”
“The highest values are concentrated in the north and north-east, while the south records consistently lower values; the main exception is…”
Try itChoose any map from your current IB unit. Identify its type, describe one overall pattern, add two pieces of located evidence, identify an anomaly and suggest one reason.
IB
COURSE REFERENCE
Where map skills fit
The IB Geography skills reference makes map work part of a wider toolkit. These skills should be practised across the course rather than treated as a one-off unit.
Locate & differentiate
Direction · latitude/longitude · grid references · scale · political units
Interpret & construct
Maps · graphs · diagrams · images · satellite and photographic evidence
Calculate
Averages · frequencies · ranges · densities · percentages · ratios
Process & interpret
Patterns · trends · relationships · anomalies · inferences · decisions
Collect & select
Observations · field sketches · interviews · measurements
Evaluate & communicate
Accuracy · relevance · bias · clear written responses to command terms
Map skills become useful when they become automatic.