The map design , which includes artistic aspects such as composition and balance, affects the success of the map that is, its ability to communicate. Scale is the relationship between the size of a feature on the map and its actual size on the ground. Scale can be indicated three ways. The bar scale is a line or bar that has tick marks for units of distance. The bar scale is especially important because it remains accurate when a map is enlarged or reduced.
Scale controls the amount of detail and the extent of area that can be shown.
Scales can be described in relative terms as large scale , intermediate scale, and small scale . The humorous l893 quotation from Lewis Carroll illustrates this point by taking scale to the extreme. Some small scale maps are regional compilations of more detailed maps, bringing information together for the first time at a common scale. Context is information that serves to orient the map reader to the mapped place. Geographic information that provides context can include coastlines, boundaries, roads, rivers and lakes, cities and towns, topographic features, place names, and latitude and longitude.