What are the three components of …

There are three components of map, viz. distance, direction and symbol.

Distance: Maps are two-dimensional drawings. It reduces the entire world or a part of the world on a small sheet of paper. While making a map, cartographers pay attention to properly represent the distance between two places. This helps us in finding the actual distance between two places.

Direction: A map also contains information about directions. On most of the maps, you will usually see an upward arrow and the letter ‘N’. This shows the north direction. Once we know the north, we can easily find the other directions. North, South, East and West are the four major directions. These are called Cardinal Directions. Some maps also show the intermediate directions, viz. north-east, south-east, south-west and north-west.

Symbols: Cartographers also need to show various details; like important structures, landmarks, etc. on a map. These things are shown by some standard symbols on the map. You can understand that it is not possible to draw pictures of hospital or temple or railway line or a monument on a map because of the lack of space. Hence some conventional symbols have been made on the basis of an international agreement.