A topographic map is a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines in modern mapping, but historically using a variety of methods. Traditional definitions require a topographic map to show both natural and man-made features,
The Centre for Topographic Information provides this definition of a topographic map: However, in the vernacular and day to day world, the representation of relief (contours) is popularly held to define the genre, such that even small-scale maps showing relief are commonly (and erroneously, in the technical sense) called "topographic." According to Cartographer's Kraak and Ormeling,
The study or discipline of topography, while interested in relief, is actually a much broader field of study which takes into account all natural and man made features of terrain.
