The key is a small box that identifies the symbols or colors that you used throughout your map. These will help the viewer to understand what a type of line or mark means, as well as why you chose to use a particular color. Be sure to include every symbol you used in your key, so that you don’t confuse the viewers. The key is sometimes also called a legend. The scale designates how many miles/kilometers are represented in a square inch/centimeter on the map. You can create a scale by drawing a small ruler on the bottom that shows how much distance is portrayed in a small section of area. You may also add an inset map of a zoomed in or zoomed out portion to show the scale more accurately. If you’d rather, you can add a ratio for your scale instead of drawing anything (such as 1”: 100 miles). You can show the orientation of your map by adding a compass rose on some portion of the blank space. This will show the way the directions work, such as North/South and East/West. This is particularly helpful if the orientation of your map is non-traditional, such as having North located near the bottom. Latitude and longitude lines may not need to be used on a fantasy map, but are almost always required on a true-to-life map. These lines divide the map vertically and horizontally, so that specific locations can be found by looking at coordinates within these lines. Be sure that these lines are perfectly straight and evenly spaced. The area shown on maps, both physical and political, often change over time (even in a fantasy map). Therefore, you will need to make note of the time or date that the map is depicting somewhere on the page. You may also want to include the date that the map was originally drawn, although it is more important to make note of the date range the map depicts. You may be interested in writing a few explanatory notes on your map somewhere. These are not required, but are particularly helpful if your map is not a traditional set-up or if it is a fantasy map you have created. These traditionally go along the very bottom border of the map, so that the reader knows they are not meant to match up with a specific location on the map.

Summary:
Create a key. Add a scale. Show the orientation. Add latitude and longitude lines. Give a time/date. Add any further explanatory notes.