Key Points
Key Points: Map Scale
- Map scale is the ratio between the distance on a map and the actual distance on the ground.
- Representative Fraction (R.F.) expresses scale as a ratio (e.g. 1 : 50,000) and is universally understood as it has no units.
- Statement (Verbal) scale expresses scale in words (e.g. 1 cm to 1 km); it is easy to understand but not universally accepted.
- Graphical or Linear scale represents distance by a line divided into primary and secondary divisions and does not require calculations.
- R.F. is also called the international or natural scale because it can be converted into any unit of measurement.
