TOPOGRAPHY DEFINATIONS

R.F. (Representative Fraction):It is a ratio of distance measured on the map in any units to
the corresponding distance on the ground in the same unit. It is necessary as it is
independent of any system of measurement and it only gives the ratio or a proportion.

Scale: The scale of the map is the ratio of proportion of between the distances on the map
and the actual distance on the ground.

Linear (graphical) Scale: It is a line of convenient length divided at regular intervals and
graduated in terms of distances on the ground. _OR_ It is a scale drawn along a line in the
form of a graph.

Spot Height: It is the height of a particular point above the sea level (indicated by black dot
in front of its height, which is in meters.)

Bench Mark: It is the surveyor’s mark, written on a rock, stone, building ,a wall (or a
prominent tree) showing the height of that point above the sea level.

Triangulated Height: It is the height of a place which has calculated using trigonometry and
is depicted by a small triangle and the height beside it.

Relative Height: It is the height of a feature which s calculated from ground level and not
the mean sea level. _OR_ Height of a feature with reference to the surrounding land and
not to sea level.

Fire Line: It is the clear patch (clear pathway) in the forest area to prevent the spread of
forest fires.

Causeway: It is a raised metalled road across a stream (It is motor able during dry season.
It indicates seasonal rainfall.)

Contours: These are imaginary brown lines drawn on maps, joining all places having the
same height above mean sea level. *Contours are numbered to indicate their height above
sea level.

Contour Interval: It is the vertical difference between two adjacent contours on a map, i.e.
the vertical interval between two contours. _OR_ It is the interval between two
consecutive contour.

Contour Index: On topographic maps, a contour is drawn by thick line and is numbered.
These are called Index Contours (thickened contour lines).

Escarpment: It has steep slope on one side and a gentle slope on the other side.{ The steep
slope is called the scarp and is represented by closely spaced contours and the gentle
slope called the dip slope is shown by contour lines drawn far apart.}

LY: Section of 100 eastings and 100 northings.

Eastings: Imaginary vertical lines increasing towards east.

Northings: : Imaginary horizontal lines increasing towards north.

Stony Waste: A large area usually in arid/semi-arid regions where the finer sol has been
blown away leaving a surface covered with rocks, boulders and stones (cultivation is not
possible here).

Layer Colouring or Tinting: It is method of representing relief features, where a different

color is used for a definite elevation . _OR_ It is the method of representing different
heights using different colours.

Broken ground: It is due to weathering, extremes of heat, cold, wetness and dryness.
Usually found along the banks of a river in arid regions where the top soil gets eroded due
to flooding during rainy season or on banks of seasonal rivers. It resembles that the region
receives seasonal rainfall. _OR_

It is land around the banks of rivers and streams in dry regions, which totally weathered
(exfoliated) due to alternate cooling and heating.

Embankment: They are raised rock or soil filled constructions made near tanks or rivers to
flooding.

Form Lines: They are contour lines , but show  only approximate heights above sea level as
they are used to indicate the elevations of the area which are not accessible for proper
survey. Hence they are drawn as broken lines and are called 'form lines'.

Sand Dunes: Hills or mounds of sand in crescentic or longitudinal dunes shaded in brown
indicating arid, desert conditions.

Stone Quarry:A place where stones, gravel and slate are cut or blasted for building
purposes.

Rock Outcrop: A rock mass standing out on the surface._OR_ It is a portion of jutting above
the surface.

Sheet rock: Large areas of rock where the overlying soil layers have been eroded and
removed due to weathering (Sedimentary hard rock in layers).

Mixed forest: A forest with more than two varieties of trees growing in close proximity to
each other (indicates moderate rainfall).

Open Jungle: A forest where trees are widely scattered. (indicates scanty rainfall)

Dense Jungle: A forest where trees grow very close to each other. (indicates heavy
rainfall)

Open Scrub: Scrub is vegetation found in regions with less than 100 cms of rainfall.
 Therefore it indicates a dry / semi-arid region, scanty rainfall.

Brackish: It is a well, which has water with very high salt content – generally unfit for
drinking purposes. 

Prominent Surveyed Tree: Serve as landmarks, not permitted to cut.

Open Scrub: Barren ground with some scattered scrub open for grazing.

Kiln: It is huge , outdoor oven , used for drying and baking bricks , limestone pottery, etc.

Lime Kiln: These are open furnaces where limestone is purified or baked.

Brick Kiln: These are open furnaces for baking of bricks.

Nucleated Settlement: These are the settlements clustered together in a group. These
settlements can be found close to a railway station, a confluence (where 2 rivers meet), a
mine, a quarry (where bricks are made) or an industrial site.

Linear Settlement: These are the settlements which usually develop on either side of a
main road, highways, railway tracks or rivers.

General slope: The direction towards which the terrain is inclined. Can be determined by
finding the direction in which the river system flows.

Others:

1. Cartography is the art and science of drawing maps, diagrams and charts.
2. Depression is shallow lowland in a sandy region often created by deflation of
winds.
 IMPORTANT POINTS

1. The thin blue line shows a water channel, it means that it is a perennial river.
2. Disappearing stream: It occurs generally in porous, sandy, arid regions. The water
in the stream is absorbed by the sand before it meets the main river.
3. Dry tank(natural feature)
Dry tank with embankment(man-made feature )
4. Brackish: This water is salty and unfit for human or animal consumption and
cultivation, neither can it be used for irrigation.
5. Form lines: It indicates heights of inaccessible areas.
6. Relative height/depth: If the number written is in black, it indicates height from
ground level and if the number written is in blue, it indicates depth.
7. Finding Direct distance: Measure the distance (without tracing along the path)
.Then by using the scale (2cm = 1km) , divide the readings obtained by 2 .
8. Finding Indirect distance: Measure the distance (tracing along the path) .Then by
using the scale (2cm = 1km) , divide the readings obtained by 2 .
9. Occupation:
 Stone Quarry – Quarrying.
 Irrigation from wells, canals/tanks – Farming
 Yellow wash – Agriculture / Cultivation.
 Forest Area- People are dependent on forest produce or Forestry.
 Settlement along banks of rivers – Fishing.
 Kiln – Drying and Baking of bricks , pottery.
 Large Settlement with a metalled road – Industries, Trade, Public Services.
 Point (like Sunset Point) – Tourism.
10. No metalled road – b’cuz of dense jungles, barren land, steep hills , many streams
and no important settlements .
11. Poor Rainfall – b’cuz of Presence of sand dunes/ undefined or disappearing
streams/ scrub vegetation/broken grounds.
12. Seasonal Rainfall – b’cuz of Seasonal streams/ Broken ground/open scrub/ cart
track motor able in dry season/seasonal tank.
13. •Natural features – rivers, streams, sand features, trees, broken grounds, natural
ponds, unlined wells, jungles, depresions (Dep), islands (in the exposed river beds),
physical features like hills, waterfalls, spurs, river valleys and cliffs, shown by contours
and their heights.
14. •MAN made features – surveyed trees, queries, permanent huts, causeways, mines,
metalled and unmetalled roads, pack tracts, cart tracts, artificial lakes with embankments,
boundaries (national and international), post offices, police chowkies and inspection
bungalows.
15. Area no need to be divide by 2(not to be converted).