A political map presents different territorial entities.
If we break this term down into two parts, describing each of the words that make it up, we will be able to reach an accurate definition of it.
The term map has its origin in the Latin word mappa and refers to the graphic scheme that represents a territorial region. Maps are generally flat, although spherical ones (world maps) also exist.
For its part, the concept of political is an adjective that refers to politics (the exercise of power or the process that a community develops to make ideological decisions that allow for achieving common objectives).
What is a political map
By unifying both meanings we can understand that the classification of political map is applied to those maps that display the various political entities into which a territory is divided. These entities, set by humans, allow land to be divided and organized, constituting themselves as localities , cities , provinces , etc. In some cases, political maps include other elements created by people, such as railway tracks , roads (highways), or artificial territorial boundaries.
A political map differs from a physical map because the latter are those that represent the accidents of nature (rivers, plateaus , mountains, etc.), without giving importance to the sovereignty that each State has over the territory. That is to say, a political map shows the territorial borders, while a physical map presents the geographical characteristics of said territory.
There are also some maps that combine these two types of design, they are known as physical-political maps and they simultaneously display natural phenomena and political components.
Cartography is the specialty that allows the creation of political and other maps.
Data simplification
As in any map, the metric properties present in political maps help to draw measurements and establish calculations of geographical distances or surfaces with good precision.
To make all this information accessible from the same map, cartographers (the experts in charge of its development) resort to various techniques to simplify the data, using differentiated scales, symbols and colors. In the case of political maps, the same sheet can show how a country is divided into provinces, what the capitals of each province are and how they are linked by roads.
Elements of a political map
The distribution of the elements on a political map allows the different points of interest for the viewer to be highlighted, capitals of countries or provinces, most prominent cities, geographical areas that are important to understand the political organization of the area, most important rivers. and details of absolute interest for each country or province.
Regarding the borders that separate each country, it is important to note that those that appear there are those that have been accepted internationally as valid, and not those that each country believes are the limits of its territory. For example, in the case of those countries that dispute a piece of territory that is between the vicinity of both, on the maps it will appear on the side of that State that the rest of the countries of the world accept as sovereign of said territory, although not necessarily be understood this way by all citizens.
The type of political organization that appears on a map of this type can be the division of territory into parties or municipalities, States or countries, Provinces, Counties, Fiefdoms, Emirates, Cities and Neighborhoods. Its usefulness not only lies in helping students understand the political structure of a certain place, but also so that States know in detail the area of their domains and know how to take measures to preserve them.
Other kinds of representations
There are many types of maps , some that we can mention are:
World maps , for example, show political distribution throughout the planet . They are spherical and usually have a rotating axis that allows them to be moved to see each country up close.
Geological maps are those that allow us to observe the characteristics of the rocks and geological sediments of a place; In them you can see fault lines, possible erosions or geological accidents and study the internal structure of the earth of a place. They are represented through universal symbols so that any expert in the field can understand them with the naked eye (for example, mountains are represented with a triangle).
There are also multiple-use maps , which contain a variety of information that is essential for specialists in certain areas. In them, aspects related to hydrography, the road network, orography, populations and any information that is considered relevant to analyze a certain region are usually represented.
There are also climate maps (they present the different climatic groups of a territory in color), urban maps (show the urban areas of a region and the various communication routes between them) and topographic maps (they contain all the information related to natural and artificial accidents). of a certain place).