A statement scale, in cartography, is a way of expressing the relationship between a distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground using a written statement.
Here's a breakdown:
-
Definition: A statement scale explicitly states the map distance equivalent to a ground distance.
-
Example: "1 cm = 10 km" is a typical example of a statement scale. This indicates that one centimeter on the map represents ten kilometers on the actual ground.
-
How to interpret: The example "1 inch equals 1 mile" is another statement scale. It tells you that every inch measured on the map represents one mile in the real world.
-
Usefulness: Statement scales are easily understood, particularly by those unfamiliar with map reading or different units of measurement. However, they are unit-dependent; if the map is enlarged or reduced, the statement scale becomes inaccurate unless the scale is recalculated.
