# Mapping Resources > How Do I ??? >  Change map scale

## imtiazahmad

Is any body could help me?

I have a base map of India scaling 1:4500,000 and I want it re size and fit at the paper size 19.5*25 cm with keeping scale 1:5400,000
my problem is how much % I reduce the map to fit at above paper layout...........?
I am using software Adobe Illustrator..................

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## pamoa

well it seems you didn't get the meaning of a scale
a 1:5,000 scale mean 1 cm on paper is 50 m in real life
so if you resize the paper you will change the scale by definition

if you have a map of 1 m by 1 m at 1:5,000
and you resize it at 50 cm by 50 cm
you will have a map at 1:10,000

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## Redrobes

...unless you clip out a rectangle from the original map losing some edges and some of the outer parts of the map and then you could keep some of the map at the same scale. But you cant adjust then length of a road on one map and print it such that the road length is different on a new sheet of paper and have the map the same scale.

A scale of 1:5,400,000 and you have a road on the map 1 inch long then it will be 5,400,000 inches long in real life - or 85.2 miles to be precise.

The scale is the ratio between the print size to real world.

Its also worth noting for the record that maps of LARGE SCALE are maps that show a small local area and maps of SMALL SCALE are big country or world sized. The reason for this that the scale being a ratio means that 1:5000 is like saying 1/5000 and 1:5,400,000 is like saying 1/5400000 so that the large country map is a small fractional scale and the small regional map is large fraction scale.

See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_%28map%29

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## imtiazahmad

> well it seems you didn't get the meaning of a scale
> a 1:5,000 scale mean 1 cm on paper is 50 m in real life
> so if you resize the paper you will change the scale by definition
> 
> if you have a map of 1 m by 1 m at 1:5,000
> and you resize it at 50 cm by 50 cm
> you will have a map at 1:10,000




Thanks 
I know the map scale theory but my confusion is that if a map is showing the scale 1:4,500,000 and user need to fit it at scale 1: 5,400,000 (means 1 cm= 54 km.)... 1 cm is on map and 54 km. is on actual ground....
Is there any mathematical formula to get desired scale map from one base map?

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## Urist

Simply divide what one cm equals on your original map by what one cm equals on your future map.
4,500,000/5,400,000 = 0.8653....
So on your new map .8653 cm would equal 4,500,000 cm of real space.
This number also works as a percentage for adjusting the scale.

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