Maps and Mapping Vocabulary

Reference

Informational, showing boundaries and place names, display physical and man made features. These include road maps which display street boundaries names, roads, it also includes political maps which show governmental boundaries ( countries, states, and major cities. )

Statistical

Uses visual elements to represent features such as data values across geographical areas. Elements such as colors and symbols are used.

Thematic

Shows how a particular feature is distributed over an area. An example of a thematic map is choropleth map of the United States showing population density by country.

Isoline

Connects areas of equal value lines. You may use a isoline map to analyze pattern in elevation, travel time and weather.