A location is where a place is on the map, and an administrative boundary is a line that divides areas such as districts or states. Keeping them apart stops a common error: deciding which area a place is in from its name or its look, instead of from the boundary line.
This lesson ends map reference and direction, and it uses the grid skills from grid references.
How do you decide which side of a boundary a place is on?
Use the boundary symbol in the legend to find the line. Then use the place’s grid reference to see which side it falls on. If the boundary follows a grid line, you can compare numbers directly.
A boundary may follow a river, a ridge or a straight line. Its position is a fact about the map, while a place’s name or the size of a printed label is not evidence of membership.
Worked example
This map is invented. A district boundary runs along easting line 35, and the area to the west is District West. Two villages have these six-figure references: Village V at 348512 and Village W at 352512.
Step 1, read the easting: V is 348, which is 34 and 8 tenths. W is 352, which is 35 and 2 tenths.
Step 2, compare with the boundary at 35: 348 is less than 350, so V is west of the line. 352 is more than 350, so W is east.
Step 3, conclude: V is in District West, and W is in the district to the east. They share a northing (512), and only the easting separates them.
The mistake to watch for
One slip is to decide the area from a printed name.
Mistaken answer: both villages are in District West, because the label “West” is nearest to both.
The student used the label position as evidence. The boundary line, at easting 35, divides them.
The correction is to find the boundary first, then place each village by its grid reference. Where real boundaries are debated, describe what the map shows and avoid taking sides.
Check yourself
Use the same invented boundary: easting line 41, with West on the left.
1. A place is at 409300. Which side of the boundary is it on?
Show answer
Easting 409 is 40 and 9 tenths, which is less than 41. It is west of the line.
2. A place is at 413300. Which side is it on?
Show answer
Easting 413 is 41 and 3 tenths, which is more than 41. It is east of the line.
3. A map prints the district name across a wide area. Does a place under the letters belong to it?
Show answer
Not necessarily. The label is for reading ease. Use the boundary line to decide.
Where this leads next
You have now covered all five skills in this topic. Test them with the mixed practice set, and record any slips in the mistake log.
For help turning map evidence into careful written answers, see online one-to-one Geography tuition.