There are three ways to get full-scale plots of USGS topographic quadrangle maps, including Historical Topographic maps (produced 1884-2006), US Topo maps (produced 2009-present) or customized OnDemand Topos. Order a paper map from the USGS Store. Use the Store’s Map Locator to find the desired map.* Download a free map file and send it to a local printing business.

At a map scale of 1:100000, 1 kilometer on the ground is equivalent to 1 millimeter on the map. Calculate ground distance given map scale and map distance. Map Scale: 1: Map Distance: Ground Distance Units: At a map scale of 1:100000, 1 millimeter on the map is equivalent to 1 kilometer on the ground. ...

The map on the left (1:24,000) is large scale and the map on the right is small scale (1:250,000). Source: USGS, public domain. Large scale maps. Large scale maps show a smaller amount of area with a greater amount of detail. The geographic extent shown on a large scale map is small.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been the primary civilian mapping agency of the United States since 1879. Some of the most well-known USGS maps are the 1:24,000-scale topographic maps, also called 7.5-minute quadrangles .

Scale shows the relationship between distances on the map and distances on the ground. Fractional scale is a typical representation of scale on maps and is written as a fraction or ratio (ex. 1:24,000 or 1/24,000). For example, the USGS publishes a series of topographic maps at a scale of 1:24,000 (also known as the 7.5 minute quadrangles).

5.2 Map Scale. The map scale is printed in the map legend. It is given as a ratio of inches on the map corresponding to inches, feet, or miles on the ground. For example, a map scale indicating a ratio of 1:24,000 (in/in), means that for every 1 inch on the map, 24,000 inches have been covered on the ground. Ground distances on maps are usually ...

Maps, Scales & Slope. Remember that a map scale is a ratio of distance on map to distance on ground, using same units. So 1:24,000 means 1” (inch) on the map equals 24,000” on the ground; then just convert 24,000” to feet: 24,0000” x 1ft/12” = 2,000 ft or, 1” = 2,000′. A. On a map of scale 1:36,000, two points are separated by 4”.

A large scale map shows greater detail because the scale is a larger fraction than a small scale map. Large scale maps have a scale of 1:50,000 or greater (1:24,000, 1:10,000, ...). Maps with scales from 1:50,000 to 1:250,000 are considered intermediate. Small scale maps are those with scales smaller than 1:250,000. A map of the world that fits ...

Representative fraction (RF) or natural scale. 1:1,000,000 (this is the same as 1/1,000,000) The RF says that 1 of any measurement on the map equals 1 million of the same measurement on the original surface; for the example above 1 foot equals 1 million feet or 1 cm. equals 1 million cm. A good quality map should have both the RF and Bar Scales.