Thematic Map

Thematic Map

A thematic map focuses on a specific theme around a geographic area. The themes can include physical, social, political, cultural, sociological or agricultural concerns. It can be for a specific community or city, or span to a nation or continent. This map shows the pollen seasons involving grass, tree, ragweed and weed pollen; the whole United States is shown and labeled according to the specific months in pollen season. 

Topographic Map

Topographic Maps

Topographic Maps are used to show three-dimensional surfaces such as earth, by using contour lines to express elevation changes. For example, mountains are picture by imagining a flat horizontal line that has been sliced through the mass. Each quadrangle has a name and is printed on the map to easily located neighboring pieces of land. There is also a scale that shows the grid, interval, and declination on the map.

Planimetric Maps

Planimetric Map Link

Planimetric Maps are defined by using horizontal lines to accurately predict the distances between features. This type of map shows geographic objects, physical features, and structures such as roads, buildings, and water masses. Planimetric maps express detail in highways, sidewalks, railroads, bridges, etc.; however, it is hard to determine the level of elevation of objects. It can also be referred to as a line map. 

Mental Maps

Mental Map Link

This is an example of a mental map, which captures a person's point of view through an image. It can be used to represent ideas, thoughts, feelings, and memories. This map is an example of how a child might view their environment and school surrounding. Mental maps are very easy to use, since it is just an organized picture of what is in your mind; however, it is sometimes difficult to capture exactly what it looks like.