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Types of Maps: Topographic, Political, Climate, and More

The document discusses several types of maps used in geography: political maps show boundaries, physical maps show landscape features, topographic maps use contour lines to show elevation changes, climate maps show climate zones, economic maps depict resources and industry, road maps show transportation routes, and thematic maps focus on a particular theme.

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Darla Peou
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380 views

Types of Maps: Topographic, Political, Climate, and More

The document discusses several types of maps used in geography: political maps show boundaries, physical maps show landscape features, topographic maps use contour lines to show elevation changes, climate maps show climate zones, economic maps depict resources and industry, road maps show transportation routes, and thematic maps focus on a particular theme.

Uploaded by

Darla Peou
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Types of Maps: Topographic, Political, Climate, and More

By Amanda Briney
Updated January 13, 2020

The field of geography relies on many different


types of maps in order to study the features of the
earth. Some maps are so common that a child
would recognize them, while others are used
only by professionals in specialized fields. Some
of the most common types are political, physical,
topographic, climate, economic, and thematic
maps. Buyenlarge/Getty Images

Political Maps
A political map does not show
topographic features like
mountains. It focuses solely on
the state and national
boundaries of a place. These
maps also include the
locations of cities large and small, depending on the detail of the maps.

A typical example of a political map would be one showing


the 50 U.S. states and their borders along with the United
States' international borders.

Physical Maps
A physical map is one that documents landscape features
of a place. These maps generally show things like
mountains, rivers, and lakes. Bodies of water are commonly
shown in blue. Mountains and elevation changes are
sometimes shown with different colors and shades to show elevation. On physical maps, greens
usually indicate lower elevations while browns usually indicate higher elevations.

This map of Hawaii is a physical map. Low


elevation coastal regions are shown in dark
green, while the higher elevations transition from
orange to dark brown. Rivers are shown in blue.

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Topographic Maps

World Map 3D RenderTopographic Map. FrankRamspot/Getty Images

A topographic map is similar to a physical map in that it shows different physical landscape features.
Unlike physical maps, though, this type of map uses
contour lines instead of colors to show changes in the
landscape.

Contour lines on topographic maps are normally spaced at


regular intervals to show elevation changes (e.g. each
line represents a 100-foot elevation change). When lines
are close together, it means the terrain is steep.

Climate Maps

A topographic map of Mount Marcy, New York. USGS

A climate map shows information about the


climate of an area. These maps can show
things like the
specific
climatic
Peel, M. C., Finlayson, B. L., and McMahon, T. A., 2007/Wikimedia Commons
zones of an
area based on the temperature, the amount of snow an area
receives, or the average number of cloudy days. These maps
normally use colors to show different climatic areas.

This climate map for Australia uses colors to show differences


between the temperate area of Victoria and the desert region in the
center of the continent. Martyman, 2005/Wikimedia Commons

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Economic or Resource Maps

An economic or
resource map
shows the specific
types of economic
activity or natural
resources present
in an area through
the use of different
symbols or colors
depending on what
is being depicted.

Vegetation zones of the world, lithograph, published in 1897. ZU_09/Getty Images

This economic activity map


for Brazil, for example, uses
colors to show different
agricultural products of given
areas, letters for natural
resources, and symbols for
different industries.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

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Road Maps

A road map is one of the most widely used


map types. These maps show major and
minor highways and roads (depending on
the degree of detail), as well as things like
airports, cities, and points of interest such
as parks, campgrounds, and monuments.
Major highways on a roadmap are generally
shown with thick, red lines, while minor
roads are lighter in color and drawn with
narrower lines.

A road map of California, for example, would


depict Interstate highways with a wide red or
yellow line, while state highways would be Chinissai, 2015/Wikimedia Commons

shown in a narrower line in the same color.


Depending on the level of detail, the map may also show county roads, major city arteries, and
rural routes. These would be depicted in shades of gray or white.

Thematic Maps

A thematic map is a map that


focuses on a particular theme or
special topic. These maps are
different from the six
aforementioned general
reference maps because they do
not just show features like rivers,
cities, political subdivisions,
elevation, and highways. If
these items appear on a
thematic map, they are
background information and are
used as reference points to
https://seanmarshall.ca/2017/02/08/mapping-torontos-population-growth/
enhance the map's theme.

This Canadian map, for example, which shows changes in population between 2011 and 2016, is a
good example of a thematic map. The city of Toronto is broken down into regions based on the
Canadian Census. Changes in the population are represented by a range of colors ranging from
green (growth) to red (loss) based on the degree of change.

https://www.thoughtco.com/types-of-maps-1435689?print 4/5

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