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The Scale of a map tells you how many units of length on the ground are represented by 1 unit of length
on the map. Without this information you do not know whether one centimeter on the map represents 1 kilometer, 2 kilometers,
or 10 kilometers on the ground.
The topographic maps used for hiking in in the Rocky Mountains have a scale of 1:50,000, i.e. 1 cm on the
map represents 50,000 cms ( or 1/2 km ) on the ground. There are also 1:250,000 maps which cover a larger area in less detail
- these are useful for identifying mountains which are further away or for planning longer trips.
Some scales and their meanings:
| Scale
| Metric meaning
| Imperial meaning
| Comments
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| 1:50,000
| 2 cms to 1 km
| 1.25 inches to 1 mile
| Canadian, British, and European maps
|
| 1:250,000
| 1 cm to 2.5 kms
| 1 inch to 4 miles
| Canadian and other maps - used to get overall view of area
|
| 1:63,360
| 1 cm to 2/3 km
| 1 inch to 1 mile
| Old British maps
|
| 1:62,500
| 2 cms to 1.25 km
| 1 inch to 1.04 miles
| US topographic maps (15 minute series)
|
| 1:25,000
| 4 cms to 1 km
| 2.5 inches to 1 mile
| More detailed maps (US, Canada, Britain, and Europe)
|
| 1:40,680
| 2.5 cms to 1 km
| 1 inch to 1 km!
| Some newer US maps |
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