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A short class with Sarah and her students. The other ways are under More.
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Here are two maps of India with exactly the same shading, but I have covered their titles. What can you tell me about them?
Not much. The dark areas could mean more rain, more people or more crops.
Exactly. The shading only makes sense once the title tells us the theme. Let me uncover them: 'India: Average Annual Rainfall' and 'India: Population Density, Census 2011'.
So the same dark patch means heavy rain on one map and crowded districts on the other.
Yes. That is why the title is the first thing you read. It tells you what to look for before you use the legend or the scale.
Then a map without a title is like a book without a name on the cover.
A good title answers three questions: what is shown, where, and when. Suppose a map shows the main iron ore mines of India using dots. What would the 'what' be?
Iron ore mines, or the distribution of iron ore.
And the 'where'?
India. So the title could be 'India: Distribution of Iron Ore Mines'.
Good. Does it need a 'when'?
Maybe, if new mines open or old ones close. We could add the year the data was collected.
Right. Add a date whenever the information changes over time, and leave it out when it does not, as on a map of physical divisions.
On a Survey of India topographical sheet, where would you look to find which area the sheet covers?
In the marginal information, where the sheet number and the name of the area, such as the state, are printed.
Correct. That heading works as the sheet's title. Now, a thematic map shows a single theme. Why must its title be very exact?
Because a word like 'Literacy' could mean the literacy rate, the number of literate people or the change since the last census.
Well said. So we would write 'India: Literacy Rate by State, Census 2011' and check that the legend shows percentages.
So the title and the legend have to agree with each other.
the heading that tells the reader what a map is about before any other component is used.
a good title states the theme, the area covered and, if the data changes over time, its date.
the title usually sits at the top of the map in the largest, clearest lettering.
the title names the theme, and the legend must explain symbols for that same theme.
a thematic map's title must name the exact variable shown, such as a rate or a total.
"India: Average Annual Rainfall" names the theme (rainfall), the area (India) and the kind of value shown (a long-term average).
"Population Density of India, Census 2011" adds a date because density figures change from one census to the next.
A rainfall map titled only "Map of India" is too vague; "India: Distribution of Annual Rainfall" tells the reader what the shading means.
On a Survey of India topographical sheet, the heading in the margin gives the sheet number and names the area covered, such as the state, which identifies the sheet.
Read the title first, then you'll know, what the colours and symbols show.
A student once handed in a beautifully shaded map called "Map 3". The examiner could not tell whether the dark areas were forests or factories, so the map lost marks. The next time, the student wrote "Maharashtra: Forest Cover" at the top, and the same shading suddenly made perfect sense.
W-W-W for every title: What is shown, Where it is, and When the data is from.
T.A.D. - Theme, Area, Date: the three parts of a complete title.
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What is the main job of a map title?
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Which three questions does a good map title answer?
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Where is a map title usually placed?
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Why should a population density map include a year in its title?
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What does the heading of a Survey of India topographical sheet tell you?
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The heading of a map that states its theme, the area it covers and, when needed, the date of its data.
The subject a map is about, such as rainfall, relief, population density or land use.
A map that shows the pattern of one particular theme or variable over an area.
A thematic map in which areas such as states or districts are shaded according to the value of a variable.
A detailed map published by the Survey of India showing relief, drainage, settlements and other features of a small area.
The details printed around the edge of a map, such as the title, sheet number, scale and legend.
A smaller line of text under a title that adds detail, such as the source of the data or the units used.
The title is the first component to read on any map: it names the map's theme, the area it covers and, where the data changes over time, the date or period it describes.
A map without a title leaves the reader guessing. This lesson explains what a map title does, how a good title answers three questions (what is shown, where, and when), where titles are placed and how they are lettered, and how titles work on thematic maps and on Survey of India topographical sheets. It also shows how to judge and improve weak titles, a skill needed whenever you complete or interpret a map in your map work.
Every map is drawn for a purpose, and the title states that purpose in a few words. Before looking at the scale, the legend or the grid, a reader checks the title to learn what the map is about. A title such as "India: Average Annual Rainfall" immediately tells the reader to expect rainfall data, shown for India, as long-term averages. The other components then help the reader to measure, decode and locate what the title has announced.
A clear title usually answers three questions:
Not every map needs all three. A map of the physical divisions of India hardly changes from year to year, so "India: Physical Divisions" is complete without a date. A map of population density, on the other hand, should say which census it uses.
The title is normally placed at the top of the map, often centred, in the largest and clearest lettering on the sheet. It should stand apart from place names and labels so that it cannot be mistaken for one of them. Some maps put the title in a box or in the margin, but it is still the most prominent piece of text. A short subtitle can add detail, for example the source of the data or the units used.
A thematic map shows one theme, such as literacy or rainfall, using methods like dots, shading or lines joining equal values. Its title must name the exact variable shown, because "Literacy" alone could mean a rate, a total or a change. On a Survey of India topographical sheet, the information printed in the margin includes a heading that gives the sheet number and names the area the sheet covers, such as the state. When you are asked to identify a sheet, this is where you look first.
Weak titles are vague ("Map 2"), incomplete ("Rainfall"), or misleading (a title that does not match the legend). To improve a title, ask what, where and when, keep it short, and check that the legend explains the same theme the title names. A good title and a matching legend together make a map easy to read correctly.