topographic map
| a map showing topographic features, usually by means of contour lines. |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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| Main Entry: | topographic map |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | a map showing the relief features of the earth's surface, usu. by means of contour lines to show changes in elevation; also called [topo map], topo quad, contour map |
topographic map
cartographic representation of the Earth's surface at a level of detail or scale intermediate between that of a plan (small area) and a chorographic (large regional) map. Within the limits of scale, it shows as accurately as possible the location and shape of both natural and man-made features. Natural features include relief, which is sometimes mistakenly understood to be the sole feature characterizing a topographic map, and hydrographic features, such as lakes and rivers; man-made features include other characteristics of the subject area, such as cities, towns, and villages, and roads, railroads, canals, dams, bridges, tunnels, parks, and other features. International usage of the term varies; in the United States, for example, the term topographic is often limited to maps at scales of 1:500,000 or larger; in Russia, to scales of 1:1,000,000 or larger
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