What is the Difference Between Political Map and Physical Map?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between a political map and a physical map lies in the features they represent. Here is a comparison of the two types of maps:
Political Map:
- Shows human-made features and boundaries, such as cities, highways, and countries.
- Represents territorial features like cities, states, and countries, along with their boundaries.
- Used to study state boundaries, neighboring countries, capital cities, and other manmade boundaries of an area.
- Bright colors are used to differentiate between different cities, states, and countries.
- Commonly used reference maps that show the geographic boundaries between states, provinces, and other political entities.
Physical Map:
- Shows natural features of the land, such as mountains, rivers, lakes, streams, and deserts.
- Indicates geographical characteristics of an area, including terrain and elevation.
- Used to represent the Earth's various natural features, such as mountains, water bodies, deserts, and other recognizable landforms.
- Provides information about the shape, height, and depth of natural features.
- Dull colors are typically used to show different elevations and landforms.
In summary, a political map focuses on human-made features and boundaries, while a physical map highlights the natural features of the land.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Political Map and Physical Map? Comparative Table: Political Map vs Physical Map
Comparative Table: Political Map vs Physical Map
Here is a table comparing the differences between political maps and physical maps:
| Feature | Political Maps | Physical Maps |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Show geographical borders between villages, towns, states, and countries | Show natural characteristics of landforms and waterbodies, such as terrain and elevation |
| Colours | Bright colours to differentiate between cities, states, and countries | Dull colours to show features like mountains and valleys |
| Topography | Flat, focusing on borders and administrative divisions | Raised or dipped to depict features like mountains and valleys |
| Scale and Detail | Prioritize representation of borders and administrative divisions | Emphasize topographical features with various shades and textures representing different landforms and elevations |
| Use | Understanding the relationships between nations and regions, distribution of political power | Studying the slopes, elevations, and natural features of an area |
In summary, political maps are used to illustrate the territorial characteristics of an area, such as borders and administrative divisions, while physical maps focus on the natural landscape features, such as terrain and elevation.
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