Topography, Scale, & Dimensional Analysis

compass rose

A tool on a map showing direction (N,E,S,W)

latitude

Imaginary lines that tell the distance north or south of the equator

longtitude

Imaginary lines that tell the distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees

relief

the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points on the map

benchmarks

show exact elevations on the map, marked with either an "X" and the elevation

bar scale

A line resembling a ruler used to measure distance.

ratio scale

distance on the map represented as a ratio. (ex. 1 : 25,000 means one inch equals 25,000 inches in reality)

written scale

a sentence stating the scale of the map (ex. 1 inch = 25,000 inches) (ex. 1 cm = 100 km)

Large scale

Depicts a small area (such as downtown Burlington) with great detail

small scale

Depicts a large area (such as New England) but with less detail

Elevation

height above sea level

Topographic Map

a map that shows the surface features of Earth

contour line

lines used to show changes in elevation

contour interval

the difference in elevation between one contour line and the next

Index contour

contour lines that are marked in bold, with the elevation written right on them

what does a hill look like on a topo map?

what does a depression look like on a topo map?

what does a cliff look like on a topo map?

The contour lines are very close together (rapid elevation change)

What does a field look like on a topo map?

the contour lines are very far apart (not a lot of elevation change)

Three types of map scale

ratio, bar, written

How many meters (m) in a kilometer (km)?

1000

How many centimeters (cm) in a meter (m)?

100

How many millimeters (mm) in a meter (m)?

1,000

scale

the relationship between distances on the map and on the ground