A map scale is the relationship between a distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the earth. It is used to determine physical distance and size of geographical area, which helps in navigation because it allows the user to determine the actual distance between two points on the map. Map scales are expressed in different ways, such as a ratio or a fraction, and can be shown graphically as a bar scale. There are three types of scales commonly used on maps: verbal scale, graphic scale, and representative fraction scale. The purpose of a scale is to show the relationship of the map distance to the ground distance, which helps in determining distances and areas on the map. Map scales are important because they allow us to accurately represent the features of the earth on a sheet of paper of convenient size. Large scale maps make each feature look larger and show a smaller geographic area, while small scale maps make each feature look smaller and show a larger geographic area.