Example of a Good Map

This my example of an effective map. The Topic is obvious, the Legend reflects the important content, and the design has a well chosen color scheme (red indicating Floodplains that could threaten schools). The Portrait orientation is appropriate, given the North - South nature of the graphic.

Example of a Bad Map

This is an example of a bad map. It is not labeled effectively (even in Portugese), is rife with 'Map Crap' (witness the 'Indians' in the lower center), and is difficult to interpret. Christopher Columbus produced this map circa 1490 to support his belief that there was a direct Westbound route from Spain to the spice trade in Asia. Fortunately, he stumbled upon another land mass (the Bahamas and Central America) and decided to return; sans spice.

He did however, predict the 'trade winds' circulated clock-wise in the Atlantic Ocean, otherwise he could have never returned to Europe.