Types of Scale

Scale is about size, either relative or absolute, and involves a fundamental set of issues in geography. The concept of scale can be confusing as it has multiple references:

• Cartographic scale refers to the depicted size of a feature on a map relative to its actual size in the world.
• Analytical scale refers to the size of the unit at which some problem is analysied, such as at the local or global level.
• Phenomenon scale refers to the size at which human or physical earth structures or processes exist, regardless of how they are studied or represented.

Although the three types of scale outlined above are frequently treated independently, they are in fact interrelated in important ways that are relevant to all geographers.