How to Make a Road Map
You can make an accurate, meaningful road map to any place that you desire. The map can have landmarks, roads, distances and other features important to your purpose. Impress your friends and make a work of art that will help people get where they need to be.
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Things You'll Need
- Computer with Internet access and printer
- Tracing paper
- Pencil
- Fine-tipped permanent markers in different colors
- Pictures of landmarks to include
Instructions
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Go to websites that have maps of the area you're interested in. Pay special attention to the distances and scale of the maps. Most websites (see Resources) of this sort will allow you to alter a map so that it focuses on your area of interest. Print it.
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Place the tracing paper over the printed map and trace the roads onto your map lightly with the pencil. Add a legend that tells you how to read the map, including how to translate the distances on the map into real distances. Try not to copy the original map's legend exactly--add your own style whenever possible--but be accurate.
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Add landmarks to the map. Outline the landmarks so that they are recognizable but not drawn with too much detail.
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Add other features to the map if you wish. For instance, you can color-code the map legend to show political or geographic boundaries.
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Add text to your map to label the map itself as well as the roads and important locations so that people can find their way around.
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Color in the sketches using the permanent marker to make them complete. Add your name in the corner. Erase the pencil lines carefully.
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Tips & Warnings
Local businesses may be interested in using your map to generate revenue. Get a list of businesses that are interested in being used as landmarks on the map and show them the prototype before you print it to see if they would be willing to buy a few copies for themselves and their customers. This is one way to help fund your map printing. At the bottom of the map, credit these businesses as sponsors.
Resources
- Photo Credit Photo by "xandert" at Morguefile
