Topographic Map

http://mail.colonial.net/~hkaiter/topographic_maps.html

Topographic maps show the shape of the earths crust in a 3 dimensional picture because the earth is not perfectly flat.  The image of the map above shows in great detail the shape and relief (elevation) of the land feature.  Each ring (contour line) indicates a change in relief and certain rings are labeled with the height of the elevation so the viewer of the map can get a general knowledge of the change in relief in a certain area.  It is a useful tool for areas of the planet with abstract terrain.