Page 13 - ICSE GEOGRAPHY

• Closely grouped contours indicate a steep Mapping Landforms through
slope. Contours
• Spaced out contours indicate a gradual
At fi rst glance, topographic maps may appear
slope.
confusing, as they contain a lot of information
• Evenly spaced contours indicate a uniform
and have their own language and symbols. But
slope.
cartographers use various symbols to represent
• Widely spaced out contours indicate a
natural landforms of the Earth’s surface.
gentle slope.
Some of the more recognisable landforms
• Widely spaced out contours at the top of a
and their respective symbols are discussed
hill indicate a fl at hilltop.
below with the help of contour lines and their
Valleys: Lines form a ‘V’ pattern along valleys.
patterns.
• ‘Vs’ point upstream, indicating the
direction of the stream fl ow. Slopes
• Streams always fl ow downhill.
Th e rate of the ascent or descent of the ground
• Contours can and do cross streams.
level is known as its slope. You can determine

the slope by studying the contour lines on a
map—the closer the contour lines, the steeper
880 860 River valley River valley the slope; the farther apart the contour lines,
840 the gentler the slope. Th e two main types of
820
800 880 slopes are gentle and steep.
Gentle slope: Contour lines showing a uniform,
860
840 gentle slope are evenly spaced and wide apart.
Spur 820
800 Steep slope: Contour lines showing a uniform,
steep slope are evenly spaced, but close together.
Remember, the closer the contour lines, the
Valleys
steeper the slope.

Fact Corner

Contour lines never touch or cross each
other. They may appear to merge on vertical
cliff s, but they are actually stacked or piled.

Gentle slope Steep slope
Contours are spaced further apart. Contours are closer together.

CLIFF 200 m
150 m

100 m
50 m
Stacking of contours indicate a cliff .
Contour lines representing steep and gentle slopes

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