Contour lines are important because they help people understand what is happening with the land’s elevation in an area. They also provide important information for scientists who study geography and are looking for information on changes in elevation over time. In this section, we will learn complete details about What Are Contour Lines and Why Are They Important?
What Are Contour Lines?
Contour lines are the lines that connect points of equal elevation.
The contour lines on the map represent areas with equal elevation, that is, they are contours of equal altitude. The two lines close together to show a mountain range in which all peaks have equal elevation, while the line far from them shows flat land with no mountains nearby.
What Is Contour Used For?
Contour lines are used to represent the shape of a region on a two-dimensional map. The contour lines form a continuous line around the area and join at points of equal elevation. Contour lines are a great way to visualize elevation data and can be used to show the shape of the land.
What Is A Contour Interval?
The contour interval is the change in elevation, or the difference in height, between two points on a contour line.
A contour line is the line of intersection of the ground surface and a plane that is normal to the ground surface.
Types of Contour Lines
The types of contour lines are Index lines, Intermediate lines and Supplementary lines.
Index lines are the thickest contour lines and are usually labelled with numbered. They show elevation above sea level.
Intermediate lines are thinner lines between Index Lines.
Supplementary lines are the dotted lines and they are used to show flatter surfaces.
How To Read A Contour Map
First, it is important to know that contour maps are a popular way to represent the three-dimensional terrain of an area. Contour lines are used on maps to illustrate variations in elevation.
By lining up contour lines on a map, you can see how the elevation changes across the space and are able to identify landmarks.
When looking at a contour map, you should always remember that the lines represent how high or low things are relative to each other (e.g., if two lines are close together, then they represent an area where there is little difference in elevation).
The closer that these lines are to each other, the steeper or sharper the slope of this feature will be. This information can be helpful when trying to identify features in a map because knowing their slope can give you clues as to what type of feature they might be.
Line thickness represents changes in elevation with major relief shown by jagged lines, known as contours.
Can Contour Lines Cross?
No.
Contour lines are continuous lines that connect points of equal elevation on a map. They are created by connecting points of equal elevation, which means that they will never cross each other. They can come near to each other at some point but never crosses each other.
Characteristics of Contour Lines
Here are some of the characteristics of contour lines:
- No Two Contour lines meet or intersect each other.
- Do not cross buildings.
- If the lines are closure to each other then it shows steeper slopes.
- Contour lines are one of the easiest features to identify in a topographic map. They are the solid coloured lines that show elevation changes on a map.
- A contour line is associated with the difference in height of two points on a map. The value of these two points will be equal to the contour interval. For example, if one area has an elevation of 450 meters and another area has an elevation of 450 meters, then they would be on the same contour line.
- Contour lines have different colours that indicate certain ranges of elevation change. For example red for 100-500 meters, blue for 500-1000 meters, and green for 1000-2000 meters.
Summary: What Are Contour Lines And Their Importance
Contour lines are an important part of geographical maps because they show the shape of the land. They are used to show what is on hillsides and mountains. They also show the dips in valleys, rivers, lakes and other water features.
One important thing that contour lines do is they allow us to see how tall or deep something is. When you look at a map of a mountain with contour lines showing elevation, you can tell that the mountain has steep sides and it’s very tall. If there are no contour lines or if they’re flat-looking, it means the terrain goes up gradually and gently.