Choose your compass with care. The most appropriate type for use in scouting is probably the orienteering compass. A good one will have a well balanced steel magnetic needle that settles into position quickly. The needle should be coloured differently at each end, usually red at the north end. If the tip glows in the dark then even better.
The important thing here is to remember that a compass points not to true north (e.g. the north pole, the geographical northernmost point of the Earth) but to magnetic north (the magnetic north end of the Earth's 'bar magnet'). These two are not in the same position (indeed the position of magnetic north varies with time).
An axe can be a very useful tool in camp. Note however that there are many different types of axe and they tend to be suitable for a limited range of work. In Scouting this should not present too much of a problem as we tend not to use the more 'specialist' types of axes.
Contour lines are a way of representing height and structure on a flat map. In real life the landscape around you is full of (Three dimensional) features, rolling hills, sudden drops, gentle inclines, steep spurs and flat farmland.
Coordinates are a mathematical way of defining a point or a region. They usually rely upon a numbered grid system, and an agreed method to pin a particular point down. This sections aims to introduce and teach the basic concepts and skills required for using map coordinates.
To be useful the map has to show features in real life proportionately smaller than they really are, else you would end up with a life-size map and that would be a waste of time! The proportion that is chosen for the map is called its scale.