Information on the scale of maps

Maps are very special products, so much so, that they cannot be compared to any other products. Often, they are regarded as similar to books, however, maps and books have virtually nothing in common. One of the most important diistincive features of all amps is their scale. This is a thing which must be discussed when buying one. Decades ago peo ple used to travel much less than today so they used much less maps.. Before the 1990's it was not at all common to make more than one, different scale maps of the same region. Nowadays so many maps are available that you will think twice before spending your money on one of them. Maps are not cheap products.

Scale, to put it simply, is a ratio which shows how much is one centimetre of the map in reality. If, for example, a Europe atlas has 1: 1.000.000 on it, it means that every centimetre on the map is 1.000.000 centimetres in reality, that is, 10 kilometres.

Which are the most frequent map scales an what can you use them for?

1:1.000.000
As indicated above, it is most commonly used for atlases covering territories as large az Europe. It is suitable for those who travel longer distances from one city or town to another and want to find their destination. These maps do not contain more profound information than that so they are in most cases not recommended for local trips.

1:500.000
It is a scale suitable for covering a territory as big as Hungary. On one sheet the whole country can be printed. This is the most commonly used scale in Hungary.

1:300.000
A very useful scale. A lot of atlases of many european countries have been created in it. Well appliable when looking for small places and "hidden" roads.

1:200.000-1:250.000 Some time ago Hungary only used to have thie scale in military map sheets but today we have a whole lot of perfectly readable atleses containing information galore.

1:100.000
Maps of individual regions are made in this excellent scale, what is more, there are atlases like this of severals European countries, too. Since on these maps one centimetre represents one kilometre, there is "room" to place a lot of local information, therefore these maps are the basis for the so called "free time" maps where the local possibilities for going out can also be shown.

1:50.000
This is the most frequently used hiking scale. The forest paths, heights, creeks and so on can be seen very well.

1:10.000-1:20.000
This the common scale for city maps. Streets, local transportation lines and other information is shown excellently.

These scales are often used together in an atlas. Certain parts are shown in better and certain others in worse scale. This way the publication is useful for more than one purpose, so getting there and moving inside the city will be arrangeable with one atlas.

For your journeys always choose right scale maps and if you need help, just write us to mapking@mapking.hu and we are at your service. And remember: for travelling it is worth buying the best suitable map or maps. It is still much cheaper than losing your way, which will cause unwanted costs and worry. The journey is simpler more enjoyable and more memorable with a good map.

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