What characteristic is essential for a map to serve as an effective communication tool?

A map’s ability to effectively communicate information is fundamentally reliant on accurate scaling and representation. This characteristic ensures that the spatial features depicted on the map maintain their proportional relationships and that distances are correctly conveyed. When a map accurately represents the real-world layout, users can make informed decisions based on the information presented, whether it pertains to navigation, land use, resource management, or any other spatial analysis.

While artistic design and the inclusion of colors can enhance a map's visual appeal and may help highlight certain features, they do not directly affect the map’s ability to convey accurate information. Moreover, the size of the paper used might influence how comfortably a user can read the map, but it does not inherently affect the map’s accuracy in representing geographic data. Ultimately, without accurate scaling and representation, the map risks misleading its users, significantly diminishing its value as a communication tool.