Map #1 - Yosemite Valley Hiking Map
This is a map of the hiking routes throughout Yosemite Valley inside Yosemite National Park which is provided by the National Park Service website. This map identifies points of interest throughout the region, as well as the hiking distances (in miles and kilometers) between these points. The map, to a certain degree, also illustrates the topography of the mountain ranges and rivers of Yosemite National Park. The elevation is also noted at certain hiking points. Lastly, the map provides a legend that points out the location of all the amenities the park offers within the valley. What I like about this map is that it is very helpful to hikers in determining which path they can choose to go about. The map measures the distances between trails, as well as its elevation, which is very important to the safety of visitors. I used this map extensively this past summer when I went hiking in Yosemite. Thanks to this map, I always knew where I was heading and how to get back to where I started.
Map #2 - Shanghai Metro Map
This is the an English version of a map of the Shanghai Metro system that is implemented throughout the city. This map is provided by the ExploreShanghai website. This map depicts the 13 railway lines that run in Shanghai. The lines are color-coded and shows each stop and interchange station. What I find interesting about this map is that the creator of the map decided it was important to illustrate the Huangpu River that runs through Shanghai, which is depicted with an unlabeled light-blue line. The Huangpu River is an important landmark that people use to note their location in the city (West of the river is referred to as Puxi, and East of the river is Pudong). This past summer I was a part of a travel study program in Shanghai and became very familiar with certain main lines of the Metro, such as Lines 1, 2, and 10.
Map #3 - Hyrule (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past)
This is a map of the fictional land of Hyrule, in the Super Nintendo video game, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. This map is provided by the NYU Game Center website, which is, "an independent, multi-school center for research, design and development of digital games." This map is an overview of the regions within the game that you must explore and complete quests to win the game. Even in a digital realm, maps are incredibly useful and often times, necessary. I find that video game maps are very interesting in that game developers accurately depict virtual space, which players can then orient and move their character within. I have completed this video game more times than I can remember, and yet every time, I still have to refer back to its maps to beat the game again.
