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Ordnance Survey (OS) maps are the most detailed and widely-used maps of the United Kingdom. At GCSE you are expected to read and interpret OS maps with confidence, using grid references to locate features precisely. This lesson covers the grid reference system, map scale calculations, and how to extract information from OS maps.
The Ordnance Survey is the UK's national mapping agency. OS maps cover the whole of Great Britain at various scales and are used by walkers, planners, geographers and emergency services.
There are two main series used at GCSE:
| Series | Scale | 1 cm = | Grid square size | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explorer | 1:25,000 | 250 m | 1 km x 1 km | Detailed fieldwork, walking |
| Landranger | 1:50,000 | 500 m | 1 km x 1 km | General-purpose, exam extracts |
On both series, the blue grid lines divide the map into 1 km squares.
Grid references allow you to pinpoint locations on an OS map. There are two types:
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