topographic map

American  

noun

1. a map showing topographic features, usually by means of contour lines.

---

Usage

What is a topographic map? A topographic map is a map that indicates the features of the land’s surface, such as mountains, hills, and valleys. This is typically done with wavy lines that represent the curves and elevation of the land.Topographic is the adjective form of the noun topography, which refers to the surface features of land. Topographic maps are sometimes called topo maps for short.Topographic maps are frequently used by hikers to navigate and plan their routes, but they’re for more than just recreation. Architects, biologists, and many other professionals rely on them for important information about a particular landscape.

Example Sentences

You can clearly see these on a topographic map as circles or ovals that have small lines pointing to the center of the circle or oval.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 5, 2024

In short, the traits of each species correspond to fitness peaks that can be likened to mountains on a topographic map separated from other mountains by valleys of lower fitness.

From Science Daily • Jan. 18, 2024

“I left my kids at home so I could hike,” the German said as he studied a topographic map of the second-largest island in the Mediterranean.

From Washington Post • May 13, 2022

He carried a hand-held GPS device so he could provide a topographic map with his water sites to his clients.

From New York Times • Jul. 17, 2021

Because he had no topographic map, however, he had no way of conceiving that salvation was so close at hand.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer