A physical map shows illustrated, geographical features such as deserts, mountains, forests, oceans, lakes and rivers. Depending on the manufacturer, the map itself may also be textured according to the physical features of the Earth. Physical map is most often used on globes. These maps might also show measurements, such as how high or low points of land are relative to sea level, using symbols and various colors explained by a key.
While a physical map describes the natural features of Earth, a political map shows how people have divided up the world into countries, counties and townships. These maps do not show the physical features of the land itself. The boundaries of each country, state and county are typically marked by solid or dotted lines. Dots or points on a political map usually indicate the location of cities and towns.
The content of thematic maps varies a great deal, but all of these maps use different colors, points and symbols to illustrate patterns on Earth. For example, a climate map uses various colors and symbols to show weather patterns across the world. Thematic maps can be used for almost any topic, using colors to represent different topics from religious and political affiliations to vegetation.
A cartogram is a type of thematic map that measures countries not by land mass, but by statistical data. For example, on a population cartogram, more populous countries appear much larger than less populous countries, no matter how much land they occupy. Cartograms provide a quick, convenient, visual comparison between nations.
