Either multiply by the scale to find the real distance in cm: The map scale 1 : 400,000 means that the distance in real life is 400,000 times the distance on the map. The distance on the map ...

The scale on a map is the ratio between real life sizes and how many times it has been shrunk to fit it on the map. Ordnance Survey maps, the most common type of map in the UK, come in several scales.