The map scale
There are
maps in different scales. The scale shows how much the map is scaled down in
relation to the reality. In competitions and exercise events, a scale of 1:10
000 and 1:7 500 is often used. A simple rule om thumb is to delete the last two
digits of the scale to find out how many meters one centimetre on the map is in
reality. 1 cm on the map is thus 100 m in reality.
In sprint distance competitions, a scale of 1:5 000 or 1:4 000 is used.
History
In the beginning, the sport of orienteering was practised on maps with a scale of
1:100 000, but the map scale has been enlarged gradually. The decision to start
using 1:15 000 as the basic scale was made in 1977.