Problems
Maps can show north at the top or elsewhere, distort the globe to fit your page, and reveal that countries or states you don't know are huge - and take hours to drive or fly across.
NORTH AND SOUTH Problems
We drove around Vienna, driver and passenger arguing. The map said left; the signpost said right. Why?
Answer
North was at the bottom of the map.
One man established the convention of always having north at the top of the map.
If you drive north, then turn and drive south, you might want to reverse your map. Some navigation systems allow you to choose.
TRAIN MAPS - UK
You have to be Sherlock Holmes looking at train maps, especially at maps of the London underground.
Most underground train maps show north at the top and west on the left and right on the east. However, on some London Underground trains, you will see different maps on each side of the train.
MIRRORS - GLASS / WATER
When taking photographs which tee shirts which include lettering or maps,especially if photographing yourself in a mirror, be aware that the text may be reversed. The same applies to reflections on glass and in water. If you have the original as well as the reflection, it is easier to read and looks more interesting and deliberate.
GLOBES
If you look at a globe, you will see that some countries appear bigger when you show a map on the flat. Otherwise you would have to make petals to show the real size. to get a real picture of distance in your mind, check the measurements.
Also notice that distance as the crow flies are not the same as driving times. A z shape road up a mountain or along a coast is much slower than a motorway, not just because of the speed but because you are not going in a straight line.
Really big places
Look at size. The USA is not a country but a continent. The English or Spanish speaking population in the USA will usually be much bigger than a single country in Europe. My blog tends to get more readers in the USA than in the UK, because of the size of the population, and potential readers. Time of day is another effect. (More Americans if I publish in daytime in the USA and night time in the UK).
Size does not necessarily mean population density. Houses and room sizes are huge in the USA, tiny in Hong Kong, getting smaller in London and Singapore.
Driving and Flying Times
Ukraine is huge. Driving across or flying across takes hours. Don't even think of walking.
MOUNTAIN BARRIERS
Also note that mountains are great for hiking up and down, especially if you want to start and end at the same place, but can create barriers if you were thinking of driving or cycling.
FLIGHT MAPS AND FLAT MAPS
Flight maps are also distortions. Flights may be routed across land rather than sea for safety reasons.
Flights from the UK to East coast Canada are much shorter than you might expect. Look at the globe instead of a flat map and you will see why.
NAUTICAL MILES
What is a nautical mile? How does it differ from a land mile? Again, look at your globe.
FLIGHT TIMES
Flights are generally designed to take routes suited to the airline, not your breakfast time.time. If the flight took longer, it would cost more in terms of fuel. However, the trains from London to Edinburgh shunt around and stop in the middle of the night, in order to arrive before breakfast and not in the middle of the night, which would be a nuisance for passengers and station staff.
Compare times of flights, trains and driving by car or on a public coach.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Maps can show north at the top or elsewhere, distort the globe to fit your page, and reveal that countries or states you don't know are huge - and take hours to drive or fly across.
NORTH AND SOUTH Problems
We drove around Vienna, driver and passenger arguing. The map said left; the signpost said right. Why?
Answer
North was at the bottom of the map.
One man established the convention of always having north at the top of the map.
If you drive north, then turn and drive south, you might want to reverse your map. Some navigation systems allow you to choose.
Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
TRAIN MAPS - UK
You have to be Sherlock Holmes looking at train maps, especially at maps of the London underground.
Most underground train maps show north at the top and west on the left and right on the east. However, on some London Underground trains, you will see different maps on each side of the train.
MIRRORS - GLASS / WATER
When taking photographs which tee shirts which include lettering or maps,especially if photographing yourself in a mirror, be aware that the text may be reversed. The same applies to reflections on glass and in water. If you have the original as well as the reflection, it is easier to read and looks more interesting and deliberate.
GLOBES
If you look at a globe, you will see that some countries appear bigger when you show a map on the flat. Otherwise you would have to make petals to show the real size. to get a real picture of distance in your mind, check the measurements.
Also notice that distance as the crow flies are not the same as driving times. A z shape road up a mountain or along a coast is much slower than a motorway, not just because of the speed but because you are not going in a straight line.
Really big places
Size does not necessarily mean population density. Houses and room sizes are huge in the USA, tiny in Hong Kong, getting smaller in London and Singapore.
Driving and Flying Times
Ukraine is huge. Driving across or flying across takes hours. Don't even think of walking.
MOUNTAIN BARRIERS
Also note that mountains are great for hiking up and down, especially if you want to start and end at the same place, but can create barriers if you were thinking of driving or cycling.
FLIGHT MAPS AND FLAT MAPS
Flight maps are also distortions. Flights may be routed across land rather than sea for safety reasons.
Flights from the UK to East coast Canada are much shorter than you might expect. Look at the globe instead of a flat map and you will see why.
NAUTICAL MILES
What is a nautical mile? How does it differ from a land mile? Again, look at your globe.
FLIGHT TIMES
Flights are generally designed to take routes suited to the airline, not your breakfast time.time. If the flight took longer, it would cost more in terms of fuel. However, the trains from London to Edinburgh shunt around and stop in the middle of the night, in order to arrive before breakfast and not in the middle of the night, which would be a nuisance for passengers and station staff.
Compare times of flights, trains and driving by car or on a public coach.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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