Map scales refer to the ratio between distances on a map and actual distances on Earth's surface. It helps determine how much detail can be represented on a map.
Related terms
Large-scale Maps: Large-scale maps show smaller areas with greater detail, such as streets in a city.
Small-scale Maps: Small-scale maps show larger areas but with less detail, such as continents or countries.
Representative Fraction (RF): Representative fraction is another way to express map scale, indicating how many units on Earth's surface are represented by one unit on the map.