What Is a Map?

🕐 4 min 13 sec 👦 Ages 6–8 🌍 English
Join Koko and Owlo as they explore the exciting world of maps and how they help us navigate new places on adventures!
Understand what a map is Learn how maps help with navigation Discover different types of maps
📖 Story Script
                    Koko:
                    Owlo! Owlo! I have the most exciting news. My family is going on a road trip next week!
                
                    Owlo:
                    A road trip! That does sound exciting, Koko. Where are you all headed?
                
                    Koko:
                    We're going to visit Grandma Vos. She lives really far away, in a town I've never been to before.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is wonderful. Have you ever thought about how you will know which way to go?
                
                    Koko:
                    Mom said she uses something on her phone to find the way. It shows all the roads and stuff.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is called a map, Koko. And maps are one of the most clever inventions ever made.
                
                    Koko:
                    But what exactly is a map? Is it just a picture of roads?
                
                    Owlo:
                    A map is much more than that. It is a drawing that shows what a place looks like from above.
                
                    Koko:
                    From above? Like if I were a bird flying in the sky?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Exactly like that. Imagine looking straight down at our school from way up high. You would see the roof, the garden, the paths.
                
                    Koko:
                    Oh! And everything would look really tiny and flat, like a drawing.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Precisely. A map takes that bird's eye view and draws it on paper, or on a screen. It helps you understand where things are.
                
                    Koko:
                    So maps are like a secret guide to finding your way around places you don't know?
                
                    Owlo:
                    I love that description. Let's go to the library. I think I have just the right book to show you.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Here we go. This is one of my favourite atlases. An atlas is a book full of maps.
                
                    Koko:
                    Wow, there are so many pages. This one has the whole world on it! It looks like a giant puzzle.
                
                    Owlo:
                    It does, doesn't it. Now, look closely. Do you notice any colours on this map?
                
                    Koko:
                    Yes! The blue parts are really big. And there's green and brown too.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Good eye. The blue shows water, like oceans and lakes. The green and brown show land, like forests and mountains.
                
                    Koko:
                    So the colours are like clues that tell you what kind of place it is?
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is exactly right. Map makers use colours and special little pictures called symbols to give you information quickly.
                
                    Koko:
                    Like how a tiny tree picture means there's a forest there?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Yes, and a little tent might mean a camping area. A small aeroplane symbol means an airport is nearby.
                
                    Owlo:
                    I once followed a map on a hiking trip and completely missed a symbol for a river crossing. My feet got very wet that day.
                
                    Koko:
                    That is so funny! So you really do need to read the symbols carefully.
                
                    Owlo:
                    You absolutely do. And every map has something called a legend, or a key. It is a little box that explains what every symbol means.
                
                    Koko:
                    Oh, like a cheat sheet for the map! I want to make a map of our school someday.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a brilliant idea. You could start small. Draw the classroom, then add the garden, then the library.
                
                    Koko:
                    And I could use colours and make my own symbols too. A little book for the library, a little flower for the garden!
                
                    Owlo:
                    Now you are thinking like a real cartographer. That is the special name for someone who makes maps.
                
                    Koko:
                    Carto... cartographer. That is a big word. I like it though. Koko the Cartographer!
                
                    Owlo:
                    It suits you perfectly. So, before your road trip, maybe you and your mom can look at the map together and find Grandma Vos's town.
                
                    Koko:
                    Yes! And now I'll actually understand what I'm looking at. I can find the roads and the colours and the symbols.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is the best part of learning something new. The whole world starts to make a little more sense.
                
                    Koko:
                    Okay, so here's what I learned today. A map is like a bird's eye drawing of a real place, so you can find your way around.
                
                    Koko:
                    Maps use colours to show water and land, and symbols to show things like forests and airports. And there's a legend that explains it all.
                
                    Koko:
                    The person who makes maps is called a cartographer, which is now my favourite word. Next I want to learn about how people made maps before phones and computers existed!