Image: Wikimedia Commons

scale

Ratio of a distance on the map to the corresponding distance on the ground

EntityQ193642

Also known as map scale

Subclass of: scale
Part of: cartography

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

The scale of a map is the ratio of a distance on the map to the corresponding distance on the ground. This simple concept is complicated by the curvature of the Earth's surface, which forces scale to vary across a map. Because of this variation, the concept of scale becomes meaningful in two distinct ways.

Overview

All data

18 statements · 11% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Has use: map
cartographic plan
topographic profile
globe
Said to be the same as: scale
Different from: zoom level

On other databases

12 identifiers linking scale across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

11%

externally sourced

Source last edited September 1, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

Suggest a fact or correction

Links

Use this data

curl https://aidb.si/api/v1/entities/Q193642

API docs, limits & keys

Cite this page

AIDB. (2026). scale (Q193642). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/scale-Q193642