- Origin of the term
- Definition
- Usage examples
- Other types of scale
- World scale
- State scale
- Local scale
- References
The national scale is an element of analysis that serves to make references about what happens within a country, or also to make comparisons with respect to local, regional or international values.
The term scale comes from the Latin scala which means "ladder". For example, cartography uses local, state, national or world scales to make spatial analyzes of a given environment, landscape, region or territory.
The national scale is used in all fields of the life of a country: economic, educational, social, political, territorial, among others.
This scale allows to study, analyze and graphically represent how a certain process occurs in the life of a nation with respect to a particular state or the world.
Origin of the term
The origin of the term scale is associated with the Latin word scala which translates "ladder".
The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (DRAE) offers several meanings, but the following are the ones that best fit the meaning of the concept in spatial terms:
- "Graduation used in various instruments to measure a magnitude".
- "Size or proportion in which a plan or idea is developed".
Using the term scale, the magnitude or size of the action to be carried out is described with greater precision.
The following sentence can be an example of the use of this term: "It is imperative to make a large-scale investment so that all the world's children receive adequate education."
Definition
The national scale measures everything that has a scope or impact for an entire country. In this way, it is possible to better compare the position of a state with respect to the rest of the national territory.
Usage examples
- At the national level, the school performance of Colombian high school students is lower than that of Bogotá students.
- The harmful effects of contamination on a national scale due to the use of pesticides are beginning to be observed in all the fields in the fields of the southwest and center of the country.
- By using input data on a national scale and refining global scenarios, it is possible to produce national biodiversity maps.
Other types of scale
In addition to the national scale, there are other types of spatial scale:
World scale
It is used to refer to an event or process that takes place on the entire planet or in part of it.
State scale
It allows to measure or dimension the phenomena that occur within a state or community.
Local scale
It is used to analyze and explain with greater precision an event or phenomenon that occurs in a locality (city or municipality).
There are also scales of analysis used in cartography, such as numerical and graphical.
Both are used to indicate the real distances and surfaces in a territory with respect to their representation on maps.
References
- National-scale. Retrieved October 4, 2017 from wordnik.com
- Rating scales. Consulted of cca.org.mx
- Geography. Consulted of beatrizgeografia.blogspot.com.
- Definition of scale. Consulted of definition.de
- Scale. Consulted of dle.rae.es
- Sarmiento, Leopoldo Galicia and Zarco Arista, Alba Esmeralda. The concept of scale. Consulted of revistaciencias.unam.mx
- National scale examples. Retrieved from agriculture.gov.au