Understand the geographic coordinate system. All maps contain four main cardinal directions: North, South, East, and West. North is represented by the upper-left quadrant (corner) of the map, South is represented by the lower-left quadrant (corner) of the map, East is represented by the middle-right quadrant (corner) of the map and West is represented by the middle-left quadrant (corner) of the map.
Understand map scale. On most maps, one inch equals one mile. Therefore, a distance of two inches between two towns located on a map equals two miles. Use the map scale to determine the distance between locations and plan accordingly when traveling between two locations. Representative fractions, represented on the map by fractions, and bar scales, represented on the map by full unites, are the most common graphic scales.
Use map symbols to guide your travel schedule. Buildings, trails, roads, bridges and rivers are located on a map using symbols, which can help you to locate hard to find locations.
Pay attention to land and water sources, which are identified by their own respective color. Blue often represents water, green represents forest and white represents bare land. Shading may also be used to denote changes related to the sun.
Use latitude and longitude lines to identify the exact location of points on the map. Land, bodies of water and commercial buildings are identified using these lines, which should not be confused with contour lines---these lines denote elevation changes.
