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Topographical plans and maps are drawings which show the
main physical features on the ground, such as buildings, fences, roads,
rivers, lakes and forests, as well as the changes in elevation between
land forms such as valleys and hills (called vertical relief). You base

these plans and maps on the information you collect from
topographical surveys.
Plans are usually large-scale drawings; maps are usually small-

scale drawings. Depending on the scale you use to make the drawing
we can identify if it is a plan or a map:
 it is a plan if the scale is larger than 1 cm for 100 m (1 : 10

000), for example 1 cm for 25 m;
 it is a map if the scale is equal to or smaller than 1 cm for
100 m (1 : 10 000), for example 1 cm for 200 m or 1 cm for 1000 m.





Figure 9.1. Scale of a map.

A topographic profile is a two-dimensional diagram that

describes the landscape in vertical cross-section. It represents
graphically the “skyline” as viewed from a distance. Features, shown
in profile are viewed along a horizontal line of sight, whereas features

shown on a map or in plan view are viewed along a vertical line of
sight. Topographic profiles are often created from the contour
information found on topographic maps.

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