Grade 9 Social Studies Notes: Topographical Maps (Map Reading, Human Activities, Enlarging and Reducing)

Grade 9 Social Studies · Strand 4.0 Natural and Historic Built Environments · Sub-strand 4.1 Topographical Maps

These are free study notes for Grade 9 learners. They follow the official KICD curriculum design for Grade 9 Social Studies (the same topics, in the same order, that your teacher uses) and are taken from our full Grade 9 Social Studies notes. Map work is skills, not memory. Keep a ruler and a pencil next to you and do every scale calculation yourself as you read.

A topographical map shows a small area in great detail: its hills, rivers, roads, farms, schools and towns. In this topic we read human activities from a topographical map, enlarge and reduce parts of a map, and draw cross-sections that show the shape of the land.

Revising topographical maps

Marginal information includes the title, scale (for example 1:50,000), key, north arrow, grid numbers, sheet number and publisher (Survey of Kenya).

Human activities on topographical maps

People settle where there is water, fertile soil, gentle slopes, roads and security; they avoid steep slopes, swamps, forests and game parks.

Enlarging and reducing a map

Enlarging part of a map two times

1. Draw 2 cm squares over the area on the original map.
2. Draw a new grid with 4 cm squares and the same number of squares.
3. Copy the features square by square.
4. Add a title, key, north arrow and the new scale.

Drawing a cross-section

From map to cross-section

1. Join points A and B with a straight line; lay a paper strip along it.
2. Mark where each contour crosses and write its height; mark rivers and roads.
3. Draw a base line as long as the strip and a vertical scale (for example 1 cm to 20 m).
4. Plot each height, join with a smooth curve and label title, A, B, features and scales.

Why topographical maps matter

• Planning roads, towns and dams, and placing schools, hospitals and markets fairly.
• Locating places; tourism and hiking.
• Land surveying and adjudication; military use.
• Studying relief and drainage, and planning for disasters.

Test yourself: multiple choice

1. A map at 1:50,000 is enlarged two times. What is the new scale?

   1. 1:100,000
   2. 1:25,000
   3. 1:50,000
   4. 1:5,000
   Show the answer

   B: 50,000 ÷ 2 = 25,000.

2. Houses built in a line along a road show which settlement pattern?

   1. Linear
   2. Nucleated
   3. Dispersed
   4. Scattered
   Show the answer

   A: Linear settlement follows a road or river.

3. Which map evidence shows tea farming?

   1. A quarry
   2. A dispensary
   3. A tea factory
   4. A fish landing site
   Show the answer

   C: Tea factories process tea grown nearby.

4. Horizontal scale 1:50,000 and vertical scale 1:2,000. The vertical exaggeration is

   1. 100
   2. 52,000
   3. 48,000
   4. 25
   Show the answer

   D: 50,000 ÷ 2,000 = 25.

5. In a six-figure grid reference, the first three figures give the

   1. northing
   2. easting
   3. height
   4. scale
   Show the answer

   B: Easting comes first, then northing.

Practice questions

1. Name four economic activities that can be identified on a topographical map and give evidence for each. (8 marks)

   Show the answer

   • Farming: tea factory or cattle dip
   • Trade: market or shops
   • Transport: roads or railway
   • Mining: quarry (also forestry: sawmill; tourism: hotel)

2. A map of scale 1:50,000 is reduced by half. State the new scale. (2 marks)

   Show the answer

   1:(50,000 × 2) = 1:100,000.

3. Outline four steps of drawing a cross-section from a topographical map. (4 marks)

   Show the answer

   • Join A and B and lay a paper strip along the line
   • Mark contour crossings and heights
   • Draw base line and vertical scale
   • Plot heights, join smoothly and label

4. Give three uses of topographical maps. (3 marks)

   Show the answer

   Planning roads and towns; locating places; tourism; land surveying; military use; disaster planning (any three).