This is a collection of maps showing different aspects of Patagonia, a region in southern South America shared by Chile and Argentina. These maps come from a variety of online sources.
This is a nice map showing the Patagonia region and its relationship to Chile and Argentina. The map is very legible and fairly complete. For example, the map shows its scale, lines of latitude and longitude, and major landmarks (e.g., major cities) to help add context. Patagonia itself is shown by the 'orange' shaded area - at least I think so, since there is no label for Patagonia and no legend to indicate the meanings of the colored areas. It is a nice map, but might have been better to label Patagonia or include information defining the color scheme.
This is again a map of the entire Patagonia region, although this one adds details and features not seen on the previous map. This map does have a label indicating Patagonia itself, a worthwhile improvement. This map also adds features like major mountains and volcanoes, national parks throughout the region, and also key cities and other landmarks. It does not have the lines of latitude and longitude, but the miniature map of South America in the lower right-hand corner serves the same purpose and clarifies Patagonia's location relative to its surroundings. All in all, this is a very good map for showing the general features and "highlights" of Patagonia.
This map appears to be focused on showing major tourist attractions and services throughout Patagonia. It does a fairly good job of that, although the map seems to get a little crowded and "busy" in certain sections. The distinctions in color between the numbered regions of Chile and between the regions of Argentina are a nice touch for making those distinctions, but they perhaps unnecessarily add to the "busyness" of the map. This map appears to have been made by a group connected to Argentina, as there are very few attractions or tourist services shown on the Chilean portions of the map. All in all I think this is a good map that meets its purpose for tourists.
This is again a map oriented towards tourism. This map's primary focus seems to be on showing the major airports and cruise ship terminals throughout Patagonia, but it also provides information on some tourist attractions (like the glaciers and lake crossing areas) and major cities and landmarks. It might be advisable to include a legend to clarify the red-black color schemes for the cities and airports and the red-yellow color scheme for the cruise ships, but all in all the map does a good job of showing the information it seems meant to convey.
This map seems meant to provide greater detail on the portion of Patagonia that lies within Argentina. The map is a little bit hard to use, as it appears to have been scanned from a paper map. Many of the labels are not clearly visible, and many of the features seem to have a slight shadow. The color scheme used to clearly delineate the different regions of Argentina seems to work well - the distinctions are very easy to see, and the colors chosen work well together. The intensity of the colors is also such that the labels are not obscured, a very desirable feature. All in all another reasonably nice map, at least as far as showing the major divisions within Argentinian Patagonia.
This map shows a similar perspective from the Chilean side. This map is somewhat easier to use, and it appears to be a map made for electronic use since it does not suffer from any of the blurring or shadowing seen on the last map. It clearly shows the major features and attractions in each of the various regions of Chile, as well as some idea of the travel routes possible between them. A key showing the meaning of the routes themselves might have been advisable, and it might have been better to use three colors to distinguish the three regions rather than reusing one of two colors, but that is really personal preference. All in all a clear and well-made map which conveys the desired information well.
This map concentrates on showing the national parks and major aquatic features of southern Chilean Patagonia. The map is very clear and concise, and the color scheme used for the labels is excellent in making the labels contrast against the various background colors, as well as for helping to classify the feature being shown. It would have been nicer to have a legend describing the meaning of the various background colors and the symbols used on the map itself, but one could reasonably infer the meanings after a little study and thought. All in all a very good map showing the desired features.
This map attempts to show some feature using a pseudo-relief technique. Unfortunately, the map is not very effective in its mission. The map seems to have been scanned in from a paper source, and as such does not do well when expanded electronically. The scale and color gradation graphic are essentially unreadable, so it is very difficult to tell what is being shown. (I initially thought it was elevation, but the large red-orange area just above the top arrow is in reality a low-lying plain, so this map cannot be showing elevation.) The arrows and other markings on this map are also not explained in any way, severely limiting their effectiveness. This map is obviously trying to show some interesting feature, but unfortunately it does not do a good job of that.
This map does a much better job of showing the elevation distribution across Patagonia. It seems to be made for electronic use, so there are none of the distortion and clarity issues that plagued the previous map. The color scheme used to depict the various elevations is distinctive enough to be easily classified, and the inclusion of both meters and feet on the descriptive scale is a nice technique. The legend provided with this map is very effective, and the map itself does a good job of providing information without overdoing it. This is a very good map that does everything well.
This is a greatly simplified map showing the various landcover types across Patagonia. Some might argue that this is not really a map at all - maybe more of a "graphic" - but I included it here because I found it interesting. This map provides a quick overview for a person unfamiliar with Patagonia as a whole, and does a good job of limiting information to that appropriate for this very high-level overview. I do wish that the color scheme would have been a little more distinctive, as the two greens are fairly similar, and the browns are very similar. (For example, the entire eastern region appears to be "Northern Deserts" by color, but I think it really should be "Pampas and Patagonia." This may be an error on the map, or it may just be that the colors are so similar that they cause confusion when viewed against/across different background colors.
This is an image scanned from a very old map of Patagonia. It obviously is not as useful or accurate as modern maps, but I included it here just to clarify how far we have come in our ability to make high-quality, useful maps. This map is geographically much more distorted and incomplete than we would accept today, but still very good given the tools and understanding available at the time of its creation.