Understanding the Features on a Map: A Guide to Symbols and Their Meanings

Maps are indispensable tools for navigating and understanding various geographical locations. By using standardized symbols, maps provide a clear and concise depiction of both natural and man-made features. In this guide, we’ll explore how various elements like hotels, botanical gardens, markets, stadiums, railway lines, lakes, rocky islands, and ferry terminals are represented on maps. This information is particularly useful for students, tourists, and professionals who rely on accurate maps for planning and navigation.

Key Symbols and Their Representations on Maps

Hotels

1. Symbol: Commonly represented by a bed icon or an H within a square or circle.
2. Example in Uganda: On the map of Kampala, look for bed icons along Yusuf Lule Road, indicating the presence of hotels like the Sheraton Kampala Hotel.

Botanical Gardens

1. Symbol: Often shown with a tree or flower icon.
2. Example in Uganda: The Entebbe Botanical Gardens might be marked with a green tree icon on maps of Entebbe.

Markets

1. Symbol: Usually depicted by an icon of a stall or a shopping bag.
2. Example in Uganda: On maps of central Kampala, the icon of a shopping bag can often be spotted, indicating popular markets such as Owino Market.

Stadiums

1. Symbol: Illustrated with a stadium icon, which can look like a horseshoe or a dome.
2. The Mandela National Stadium (Namboole Stadium) near Kampala, Buhinga in Fort Portal and Kaceeka in Mbarara  might be marked with a dome icon on sports or city maps.

• Railway Lines

2. Symbol: Represented as long, thin lines with small dashes across them.
3. Example in Uganda: The map of Kampala shows railway lines with dashed lines, indicating the route towards Jinja.

Lakes

2. Symbol: Illustrated with wavy blue lines or a solid blue area.
3. Example in Uganda: Lake Victoria is often a prominent blue area on maps of Uganda, particularly visible on maps focusing on Kampala and Entebbe. Other lakes visible on the Ugandan map with  blue features include: Edward, George and Kyoga.

• Rocky Islands

3. Symbol: Small circles or irregular shapes, often in grey or black.
4. Example in Uganda: The Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria might be marked with small grey shapes on a map, indicating their rocky nature.

• Ferry Terminals

4. Symbol: Shown with a part of a ship’s hull or a slipway.