BY: TARUN MAURYA

ROLL NO: 13129

BRANCH: CED
In contrast to most maps, a topographic map shows the shape
of the Earth’s surface by using contour lines.
• Contours are imaginary lines that join points of equal
elevation above or below sea level.
• Topographic Map is a detailed geographic map of uniform
content, design, and mathematical basis. Topographic maps
depict the natural and socioeconomic objects of a region with
their qualitative and quantitative characteristics and specific
features of their location.
• "Topo" maps provide highly detailed information about the natural
and man-made aspects of the terrain, but are best known for their
series of contour lines that show elevation changes, and colors
signifying varying land types and bodies of water. Topographic maps
in their paper form have been in use for many years, and are a
mainstay of outdoorspeople and those who must understand
landscape details for business purposes.
• In modern mapping, a topographic map is a type of map characterized by large-scale
detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines but,
historically, using a variety of methods. Traditional definitions require a topographic
map to show both natural and man-made features. A topographic map is typically
published as a map series, made up of two or more map sheets that combine to form
the whole map. A contour line is a combination of two line segments that connect but
do not intersect; these represent elevation on a topographic map.

A topographic map is a detailed and accurate graphic representation of cultural and

natural features on the ground.
Contour lines are the greatest distinguishing feature of a topographic map.

 Contour lines are lines drawn on a map connecting points of equal elevation, meaning if you physically followed a
contour line, elevation would remain constant. Contour lines show elevation and the shape of the terrain. They're
useful because they illustrate the shape of the land surface -- its topography-- on the map. Here's a cool way to
understand how to interpret contour lines: Take an object like a ball or a pile of laundry, and shine a red laser
pointer along the object's side. The line you see will look like a contour line on a topographic map.
 In order to keep things simple, topographic maps show lines for certain elevations only. These lines are evenly
spaced apart. We call this spacing the contour interval. For example, if your map uses a 10-foot contour interval,
you will see contour lines for every 10 feet (3 meters) of elevation -- lines at 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and so on. Different
maps use different intervals, depending on the topography. If, for example, the general terrain is quite elevated, the
map might run at 80- to even 100-foot (24.4- to 30.5-meter) intervals. This makes it easier to read the map -- too
many contour lines would be difficult to work with. Look in the margin of your map to find out its contour interval.
 To make topographic maps easier to read, every fifth contour line is an index contour. Because it's impractical to
mark the elevation of every contour line on the map, the index contour lines are the only ones labeled. The index
contours are a darker or wider brown line in comparison to the regular contour lines. You'll see the elevations
marked on the index contour lines only. To determine elevations, pay attention to the amount of space in between
lines. If the contours are close together, you're looking at a steep slope. If the contours have wide spaces in between
-- or aren't there at all -- the terrain is relatively flat.
• Topographic maps have multiple uses in the present day: any type of geographic
planning or large-scale architecture; earth sciences and many other geographic
disciplines; mining and other earth-based endeavors; civil engineering and
recreational uses such as hiking and orienteering.
 The various features shown on the map are represented by conventional signs or symbols. For
example, colors can be used to indicate a classification of roads. These signs are usually
explained in the margin of the map, or on a separately published characteristic sheet.[14]
 Topographic maps are also commonly called contour maps or topo maps. In the United States,
where the primary national series is organized by a strict 7.5 minute grid, they are often called
topo quads or quadrangles.
 Topographic maps conventionally show topography, or land contours, by means of contour lines.
Contour lines are curves that connect contiguous points of the same altitude (isohypse). In other
words, every point on the marked line of 100 m elevation is 100 m above mean sea level.
 These maps usually show not only the contours, but also any significant streams or other bodies
of water, forest cover, built-up areas or individual buildings (depending on scale), and other
features and points of interest.
 Today, topographic maps are prepared using photogrammetric interpretation of aerial
photography, LIDAR and other Remote sensing techniques. Older topographic maps were
prepared using traditional surveying instruments.
 SCALES:
Topographic maps come in different scales, and the differences are important. For
example, the common "24K" topo map is in the scale of 1:24,000 (1 inch = 2,000 feet)
and shows great detail. The 24K map is also known as a "7.5 minute" map, because it
covers 7.5 minutes of latitude and longitude. Another common format, the "100K" topo
map, is in the scale of 1:100,000 (1 centimeter = 1 kilometer) and shows less detail,
but covers a wider area than the 24K topo.
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