{"id":13728,"date":"2015-01-15T14:07:39","date_gmt":"2015-01-15T19:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/?p=13728"},"modified":"2015-03-05T10:45:01","modified_gmt":"2015-03-05T15:45:01","slug":"symbols-map-key","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/","title":{"rendered":"Symbols in a Map Key"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Symbols are small pictures that stand for different features on a map.<\/strong> A symbol is often drawn to look like what it represents. For example, <strong>a triangular shape <\/strong>is often used to denote a mountain. A desert is often shown by a <strong>group of dots<\/strong> that might look a little bit like sand. A forest could have little<strong> shapes that look like trees<\/strong>. A railroad can be shown as a <strong>line with bars <\/strong>drawn across it, like a train\u2019s track.<\/p>\n<p><strong>All the symbols for a map are often grouped together in a MAP KEY for reference.<\/strong> Sometimes the MAP KEY is <strong>a box shape where the symbols are arranged<\/strong>. Sometimes the symbols are just displayed in a more\u00a0<strong>freeform manner, without a box around them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>When you are coloring symbols, it is good to match colors to what you are depicting<\/strong>. For instance, mountains can be drawn brown and green. If a school is shown it could be red (like a brick building). Trees and wetlands are green, and so on.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Symbols should make some sense<\/strong>. If you are designing symbols for a map, think about shapes that remind you in some way of what you are showing. For instance, you might use an envelope shape, as in the key show here, to represent a Post Office building.<\/p>\n<p>In atlases and professional maps, there are also Map Keys that indicate different kinds of lettering, the size of cities, population and other map details.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some examples of various Map Keys from the MAPS FOR THE CLASSROOM maps.<br \/>\n[fourcol_one]<a href=\"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-13731\" src=\"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey-110x300.jpg\" alt=\"Treasure Map Key\" width=\"110\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey-110x300.jpg 110w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey-100x272.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey-184x500.jpg 184w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 110px) 100vw, 110px\" \/><\/a>[\/fourcol_one][fourcol_one]<a href=\"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mapskeystate.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-13732\" src=\"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mapskeystate-134x300.jpg\" alt=\"State Map Key\" width=\"134\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mapskeystate-134x300.jpg 134w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mapskeystate-300x673.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mapskeystate-100x224.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mapskeystate-223x500.jpg 223w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mapskeystate.jpg 349w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 134px) 100vw, 134px\" \/><\/a>[\/fourcol_one][fourcol_one]<a href=\"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/basickey.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-13730\" src=\"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/basickey-94x300.jpg\" alt=\"Basic Map Skills Map Key\" width=\"94\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/basickey-94x300.jpg 94w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/basickey-300x959.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/basickey-320x1024.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/basickey-100x320.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/basickey-156x500.jpg 156w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/basickey.jpg 491w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 94px) 100vw, 94px\" \/><\/a>[\/fourcol_one][fourcol_one_last]<a href=\"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/aztecmapkey.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-13729\" src=\"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/aztecmapkey-132x300.jpg\" alt=\"Aztec Map Key\" width=\"132\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/aztecmapkey-132x300.jpg 132w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/aztecmapkey-300x684.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/aztecmapkey-100x228.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/aztecmapkey-219x500.jpg 219w, https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/aztecmapkey.jpg 419w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 132px) 100vw, 132px\" \/><\/a>[\/fourcol_one_last]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Symbols are small pictures that stand for different features on a map. A symbol is often drawn to look like what it represents. For example, a triangular shape is often used to denote a mountain. A desert is often shown by a group of dots that might look a little bit like sand. A forest [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4988,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-resources","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Symbols in a Map Key - Maps for the Classroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Symbols in a Map Key - Maps for the Classroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Symbols are small pictures that stand for different features on a map. A symbol is often drawn to look like what it represents. For example, a triangular shape is often used to denote a mountain. A desert is often shown by a group of dots that might look a little bit like sand. A forest [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Maps for the Classroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-01-15T19:07:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-03-05T15:45:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey-110x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"mapofthemonth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"mapofthemonth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/\",\"name\":\"Symbols in a Map Key - Maps for the Classroom\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey-110x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-01-15T19:07:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-03-05T15:45:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/#\/schema\/person\/ec7bc31bac349883353b2d94cc6e3c05\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey-110x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey-110x300.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/\",\"name\":\"Maps for the Classroom\",\"description\":\"Hands-on geography activity maps for all grade levels by Map of the Month\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/#\/schema\/person\/ec7bc31bac349883353b2d94cc6e3c05\",\"name\":\"mapofthemonth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a23f5b4e871dc534d5c2dff644a3def41b3cb77e1bc020598d3e928fefe6ca0d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a23f5b4e871dc534d5c2dff644a3def41b3cb77e1bc020598d3e928fefe6ca0d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"mapofthemonth\"},\"description\":\"Map of the Month has been making geography maps that students and teachers love for 25 years! Cartography (map-making) is our passion and we wish to inspire students and teachers to explore our wonderful world. Headquartered in historic Providence, RI, our map-making business is family owned and operated by the Newtons.\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Symbols in a Map Key - Maps for the Classroom","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Symbols in a Map Key - Maps for the Classroom","og_description":"Symbols are small pictures that stand for different features on a map. A symbol is often drawn to look like what it represents. For example, a triangular shape is often used to denote a mountain. A desert is often shown by a group of dots that might look a little bit like sand. A forest [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/","og_site_name":"Maps for the Classroom","article_published_time":"2015-01-15T19:07:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-03-05T15:45:01+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey-110x300.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"mapofthemonth","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"mapofthemonth","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/","url":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/","name":"Symbols in a Map Key - Maps for the Classroom","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey-110x300.jpg","datePublished":"2015-01-15T19:07:39+00:00","dateModified":"2015-03-05T15:45:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/#\/schema\/person\/ec7bc31bac349883353b2d94cc6e3c05"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/symbols-map-key\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey-110x300.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/treasuremapkey-110x300.jpg"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/","name":"Maps for the Classroom","description":"Hands-on geography activity maps for all grade levels by Map of the Month","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/#\/schema\/person\/ec7bc31bac349883353b2d94cc6e3c05","name":"mapofthemonth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a23f5b4e871dc534d5c2dff644a3def41b3cb77e1bc020598d3e928fefe6ca0d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a23f5b4e871dc534d5c2dff644a3def41b3cb77e1bc020598d3e928fefe6ca0d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"mapofthemonth"},"description":"Map of the Month has been making geography maps that students and teachers love for 25 years! Cartography (map-making) is our passion and we wish to inspire students and teachers to explore our wonderful world. Headquartered in historic Providence, RI, our map-making business is family owned and operated by the Newtons."}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4988"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13728\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}