Topographic Maps

Warm Up

1. What is the reference line for longitude?2. When plotting coordinates, which comes

first? Latitude or Longitude?3. How many centimeters are in 2.5 meters?

Topographic Maps• Show elevation– How high or low the ground is

• Contour Lines: connects areas of equal elevation – Contour lines never cross!!

• Contour Interval: space between contour lines to show elevation change– Contour lines close together = steep elevation (like a

mountain or hill)

TopographyA. Topography: the surface features of an area.B. This map shows the presence of an island but gives no

clue how tall the island is.

C. Topographic maps are 2 dimensional representations of 3 dimensional landforms.

Building a Topographic

MapA. Always start at

Sea Level: 0.B. Select an

interval (on this map 10 ft).

C. Trace the land contour at each interval.

Building a Topographic

MapD. When done,

you have a topographic map.

E. Now you know how high some features are compared to others.

Reading a Topographic Map

A. Contour interval: the difference in elevation between 2 lines.

B. Index contour: elevation lines that are labeled and usually darker than others.

C. What is the contour interval of this map?1. Hint: pretend it’s a

thermometer. 20 ft

What is the height difference between points C and D?

Special Symbols

Closed circle = hill or mountain top

Marks inside a circle= depression

Mount Rainier Volcano, Washington State

http://www.trails.com/topo.aspx?lat=46.85263&lon=-121.75981&s=50&size=s&style=drgsr

BE SURE TO CREATE A COLOR CODED KEY• Identify:– Prime Meridian– Equator– Quadrants:• NE• NW• SE• SW

– 7 Continents– 5 Oceans– The latitude and Longitude of a place you’d like to

visit.

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