The Mercator Projection is a mathematical projection that stretches out area to an infinite factor at the poles. While this projection displays areas near the equator accurately, there is an extreme amount of distortion near the poles. It is recommended to draw from this projection as the United States sits below the 50°N latitude where distortion gets really high. The Winkel Triple Projection is a compromise projection designed to view the entire world with minimal distortion. This is not a good projection to draw from as the longitude of the USA is too far from the Prime Meridian to have an accurate drawing. The Albers conic equal-area projection is a projection designed to conserve land area and shape. This is one of the best maps to draw from as it gives an accurate shape of the United States, and is most familiar with the general public. Just remember that the grid lines are not perfectly horizontal or vertical.
Political maps will include: Borders Names of cities, capitals, and their locations Roads (major highways) Physical maps will include: Geographic data (mountains, valleys, waterfalls, rivers, etc. ) Elevation (usually denoted in color - green being low, brown high) - sometimes, a legend, or key, is used. Landmarks Thematic maps will be different. Instead of the usual thing, thematic maps depend on special characteristics, such as vegetation, oil consumption, urban density, climate differences, etc. A legend is going to be needed, as the map will almost certainly be colored to differentiate different areas.
When you draw thematic maps, do not draw any artificial islands, oil rigs locations, or similar things, unless it is specified in your legend. Unnecessary information can confuse the reader, even in maps - not just books. It is good if you plot or find out routes of major rivers that impact on state shapes. Some examples are the Mississippi, Missouri, Colorado and the two Red Rivers (Oklahoma/Texas and North Dakota/Minnesota). Since rivers impact shapes of the USA, especially in the eastern region, it significantly helps improve shape and reduces distortion. Remember about Alaska and Hawaii. Although technically not in the Lower 48, they are still part of the USA, and thus needs to be included in your map. Many versions of maps made by computers have Alaska and Hawaii at the lower left corner of the paper, where Mexico shares its border with the USA. You may also wish to put them on a separate sheet of paper.
Color - very important for drawing maps of all kinds. On a political map, it is wise to choose colors that contrast with each other, and to not color in two bordering states with one color. That way, it will reduce confusion. All features of the physical map - explained above. Only do this if you are drawing a physical map. It is possible to color in a hybrid of political and physical. Colored pencils prevail over other methods of coloring as the map will be crowded. This will require borders, cities and capitals, and physical features. Color from the physical, not political map, will be used. Thematic map: the data of your choice with a legend and color accordingly. Even though you will have to research on the internet or find out data from books, it is still a brilliant achievement to have drawn the USA, instead of copying and pasting. A marker (dark colors preferred) - this is to clarify borders and to make it stand out. Without the marker, contrast would be low.
