How to Read a Road Map

The index

Lists the names of all of the cities listed on a particular map in alphabetical order and the
corresponding location of each listing.
The location is represented by a grid system. For example, across the bottom of a map
there may be sections that are labeled A, B, C, and so on. On the left side of the map, the
grids may be labeled numerically. If a towns location is described as B4 in the index, you
would look in the grid where column B and row 4 meet to find the town.

The legend

Either at the bottom or on the back of a map there will appear a legend. A legend is a
small box that uses symbols to show the types of roadways and landmarks that are listed
on the map.

The Compass Rose

Almost all maps will contain a small compass rose. This may seem like ancient technology
to you, but being able to turn the map in the direction you are facing may be helpful. For
example, if you know that you are currently going north on a particular interstate
highway, you can use a maps compass rose to make certain that you are following the
same interstate highway on the map in a northward direction. Remember that most maps
are designed with north facing up.

The Scale
You can use a scale to roughly estimate the distance between on place on the map and another.
The scale will probably appear somewhere close to the legend or compass rose and looks like a
small line labeled with distances. You can use your finger or a small scrap of paper to measure
how many times the length of the scale will fit on your chosen route. Then, multiply this number
by the distance that the scale represents to approximate the actual distance.
o

To determine how far your destination is, use a ruler and the scale to measure how
many miles it is from point A to B.

For example, if your map's scale is 1:250,000, and the distance from point A to
point B is 6 inches, the total distance is 6 * 250,000 = 1,500,000 inches. One mile is
63,360 inches, so the distance from point A to point B is 1,500,000 63,360 = 23.7 miles.