ABSTRACT
To most people, using a map appears to be a straightforward and quite natural task. Finding a place; selecting a route; discovering the name of a prominent hill; all these are common and indeed, quite elementary. It is also clear that some types of map use are more complex; for example, trying to memorize a route, or navigate a ship in a narrow channel. Yet even these would seem to have some basic elements in common. People use maps to obtain information, to find something out, and they are aware, consciously or subconsciously, that for some purposes the map is far more effective than any other source.
