Types of Maps
Every map leaves almost everything out. What it chooses to keep is what makes it a political map, a physical one, or something else entirely.
A map is an argument about what matters
There is no such thing as a complete map. A map showing everything at full detail would have to be the same size as the world, which is a joke Borges got to first. Every real map throws away almost all of the available information and keeps a tiny selection.
The type of a map is simply a description of what it decided to keep. That is why the same stretch of coast looks like four different places depending on which map you pick up, and why choosing the wrong type is the most common reason a map fails to answer your question.
Political maps
Political maps show human divisions: countries, states, counties, capitals and major cities. Borders are the point of the map, so they are drawn boldly, and colour is used to separate neighbours rather than to mean anything in itself. The fact that France is pink carries no information beyond "this is not Spain".
They are the maps in atlases and on classroom walls, and they are what most people picture when they hear the word map. They deliberately say almost nothing about the land itself: a political map of Switzerland gives no hint that it is mountainous.
Physical maps
Physical maps show the land rather than the politics: mountain ranges, plains, deserts, rivers, lakes and coastlines. Colour here does mean something. Green usually marks low ground, shading through yellow and brown to white for the highest peaks, and blues get darker with ocean depth.
This colour scheme is a hypsometric tint, and it catches people out surprisingly often. Green means low, not fertile. The green areas of a physical map of Egypt are low-lying desert, not farmland.
Topographic maps
Topographic maps are the detailed ones used for walking, planning and surveying. They combine relief, shown with contour lines, with a dense layer of human features: roads, tracks, buildings, boundaries, woodland and rights of way. They are drawn at large scales, typically 1:25,000 or 1:50,000, so they cover small areas thoroughly.
If a map has contour lines and a legend two columns long, it is topographic. This is the type most of the other lessons in this course are really about.
Thematic maps
A thematic map takes one variable and maps it: population density, rainfall, election results, broadband coverage, cases of a disease. The geography is reduced to a plain outline so the data can carry the colour.
The most common form is the choropleth, where each region is shaded according to its value, darker for more. They are powerful and easy to mislead with, because a choropleth shades by area while most data is about people, and large empty regions therefore shout louder than small crowded ones.
Which map for which question
The quickest way to pick a type is to start from the question you actually have.
| Your question | Map type | Typical scale |
|---|---|---|
| Which country is this, and what is its capital? | Political | Small |
| Is this region mountainous or flat? | Physical | Small |
| How steep is that hill and where does the path go? | Topographic | Large |
| Where does it rain most? | Thematic | Any |
| How do I drive there? | Road map | Medium |
| How deep is the water here? | Nautical chart | Large |
| Which line do I take? | Transit diagram | Not to scale |
Check what you learned
Five questions on map types. Pass at 70% or better to complete the lesson.
Practice with Games
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Types of maps, in one paragraph
Maps are classified by what they choose to show. Political maps show human divisions such as countries, states, borders and capitals, using colour only to separate neighbours. Physical maps show the natural land: mountains, plains, rivers and coasts, usually with hypsometric tints where green marks low ground and brown marks high ground. Topographic maps combine relief, shown as contour lines, with detailed human features such as roads, buildings and paths, and are drawn at large scales like 1:25,000 for walking. Thematic maps map a single variable such as rainfall, population density or election results, most often as a choropleth where each region is shaded by its value. Specialised types include road maps, nautical charts and transit diagrams, the last of which abandon scale and direction entirely in exchange for legibility.
Common questions about types of maps
What is the difference between a political and a physical map?
A political map shows human divisions such as countries, borders and capitals, and its colours are arbitrary, chosen only to keep neighbours distinct. A physical map shows natural features such as mountains, rivers and plains, and its colours carry meaning, usually elevation.
What is a topographic map used for?
For anything that needs the shape of the ground and detail on it: hiking, planning routes, surveying, land management and military use. It combines contour lines showing elevation with roads, buildings, paths, woodland and boundaries, at a large scale such as 1:25,000 or 1:50,000.
What is a thematic map?
A map of a single variable rather than of the landscape. Population density, rainfall, election results and internet coverage are all typical themes. The geography is stripped back to a plain outline so the data can be shown in colour, most commonly as a choropleth where darker shading means a higher value.
What are the main types of maps?
The four principal types are political, physical, topographic and thematic. Beyond those sit specialised forms including road maps, nautical charts, aeronautical charts, cadastral maps showing land ownership, and transit diagrams.
Which map type should I use?
Start from your question. Who governs this place, use political. Is it mountainous, use physical. How steep is this specific hill and where is the path, use topographic. Where is this thing most common, use thematic. Using the wrong type is the usual reason a map seems to be missing information.