The country down into numbered sections of about one square mile each. On standard topographic maps produced by the US Geological Survey. In the United States, the Township and Range grid is used The universal transverse Mercator (UTM) grid, which is commonly used by GPS Location system shown on topographic maps. Latitude and longitude are not the only horizontal A geographic grid system of latitude and longitude (in degrees) is accurately established by field surveys. Topographic maps use horizontal controls to give location, scale and directions on a map. A topographic map may or may not include shaded relief to help visualize steep slopes. A standard topographic map uses contour lines to expressĮlevations above sea level and show the shape of the land. Topographic maps are used by surveyors, engineers, and geologists, as well as hikers, back packers, and other outdoor Created originally by Tom Braziunas and Gwyneth Jones, modified since then with permission.Ī topographic map is a precise, graphic representation of the three-dimensional shape of the earth's surface.
