People sometimes speak of a map as one with a "large scale" or "small scale". A "large scale" map makes things look large, and a "small scale" map makes things look small. For example, an island displayed on a 1:10,000 map will appear larger than if it were displayed on a 1:25,000 map. Thus, the former is "large scale". What can be confusing is that for a map of a given physical size, say 11 by 17 inches, a "large scale" map will have a smaller geographic extent than a "small scale" map centred on the same point. 