Maps
How to Read a Map Scale Bar Without Misjudging Distance
Learn how to read a map scale bar, compare ground distances and avoid confusing a map’s printed size with the distance…
The reading room
All pieces
Explore Grand News Compass by subject: maps, landforms, place names, regions and routes. Each piece starts with a question about how we read and understand a place.
Landforms
Ridge, Spur or Valley: Reading the Lines on a Topographic Map
Read ridge, spur and valley patterns on a topographic map to identify rising and falling ground, choose a sensible…
Place Names
Before the Street Sign: How Place Names Took Their Forms
Learn how place names form and change, and why a word’s apparent meaning is a clue to investigate rather than proof of…
Regions
The Myth of the Neat Region: Why Boundaries Can Be Fuzzy
Understand why region boundaries rarely line up, how physical, functional and cultural regions differ, and how to…
Routes
A Paper Map for a Walk Through an Unfamiliar Park
A paper map for a walk through an unfamiliar park helps you choose clear landmarks, avoid needless backtracking and…
Our point of view
A map is a view, not the whole place
We look at the choices behind maps and the details beneath them. The aim is not to memorise every label, but to ask better questions about where we are.