A topographic map is a pictorial representation of natural and man made features as they appear on the earths surface. In paper and digital form,these cover such things as creeks, rivers, roads, towns, contours, buildings ,lakes and many other assorted features.Symbols are used on a map and explained in the legend what each of them mean. Different scales denote whether a map is best used for walking, driving, or planning purposes.

A scale of 1:25,000 is a good walking map and a 1:100,000 map is ideal for driving or viewing a larger area. Maps come in different scales,popular ones being 1:25,000 , 1:50,000 , 1:100,000 and 1:250,000. The smaller the number of scale the more opportunity exists for extra detail. For example;

1:25,000 (referred to as large scale; more detail) 1:250,0000 (known as small scale; less detail but shows a larger area)