Marginal information
Topic: Topographical Maps: Relief Representation and Interpretation · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Topographical Maps"
Meaning
Marginal information is the set of details printed in the margins (edges) of a topographical sheet. It gives the sheet number, location, extent in degrees and minutes, grid references, scale (as a ratio and as a bar), contour interval, the districts covered and the legend. The legend is the key that explains the symbols. Reading the marginal information is always the first step in map interpretation, because it tells you where the map is and how to read it.
Example
The margins of NCERT's exercise sheet 63K/12 tell the reader that it is a 1:50,000 sheet covering 15' × 15'. They also say that it covers parts of Mirzapur and Varanasi districts in Uttar Pradesh, on the Ganga.
Don't confuse with
- Conventional signs and symbols: these are the standard symbols drawn on the map to show roads, villages and other features. Marginal information is the text around the map, and its legend explains those symbols.