topographic map

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topographic map

cartography

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Oct 17, 2024 • Article History

Key People:: César-François Cassini de Thury; Dominique, comte de Cassini

Related Topics:: map

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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.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Alison Eldridge.