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| Almost everything that appears on a map, except a written
name, is a conventional sign. Remember that a map is a picture which attempts
to tell you as much as it possibly can about the ground. Conventional signs
are designed to enable the maximum amount of information to be put on a
map in the clearest possible way. The only alternative to showing things
in this way is to show pictures, which would have an exactly opposite result,
since on the scale of most maps many objects would be unrecognisable - and
in any case almost impossible to draw at the size required. |
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| Conventional signs and colours are designed to suggest the thing represented whenever possible. Look at the legend of an OS 1:50000 map and see the resemblance: | ||
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a.
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A lighthouse is a little drawing of a lighthouse. | |
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b.
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The sign for a church always includes a cross. In this case a chapel, church with tower and church with spire. | 
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c.
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Woods are shown in green. This is a non-coniferous wood. |  |
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d.
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The crossed swords for the site of a battle suggest their meaning. |  |
| When it is not possible to be suggestive the map makers do
their best to make signs easy: P for post office is simple; PH stands for public house: a red dot on a railway line can hardly be anything but a railway station; and the tourist information has the same symbol as that used on road signs. |
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| Conventional signs are not difficult to learn and you should study the legend on a map to familiarize yourself with the signs used. Conventional signs are not the same for all scales of maps but they are very similar. More detail can be shown on larger scale maps and less detail on smaller scale maps. | ||
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Typical
Conventional Signs
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Telephone
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Beacon
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Camping site & Caravan site |
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Church with spire
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Chapel and church with tower
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District boundary
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Electricity line with pylons
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Glasshouse i.e. greenhouse
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Golf Course
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Level crossing
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Lighthouse
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Mixed Wood
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Non-coniferous wood
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Quarry
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Radio mast
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Railway Station
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Spot height on road
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Trig Point
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Windmill
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Windpump
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| Why not go and do a test on Conventional Signs | |||
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