Representing Height

Contours

Ways of representing
height
When you travel around a country you
notice that the land isn't completely flat.
There are low hills, high mountains and
valleys with steep sides.
The heights of these landforms are
represented on maps by various means

Contours

A contour line(often just called a "contour")

joins points of equal elevation (height) above a
given level, such as mean sea level.

These lines do not cross each other.

The difference between a contour line and the

line next to it is called the vertical interval.

vertical interval- Difference in altitude between

two specified points or locations, e.g., the
battery or firing ship and the target

NOTES

The arrangement of contour lines show the

relief of landforms.
Relief refers to the change in elevation of
the land
The wider the spacing of the contour the
gentler the slope
The closer the spacing of the contour the
steeper the slope

Diagram showing vertical intervals

Diagrams representing contour

lines

As you can see the contour lines are

widely space so the sleep is gentler and
more gradual

As you can see the contour lines are closer

together meaning that the slope is steep.