When you travel around the country, you will notice that the land is not completely flat. There are low hills, high mountains and valleys with steep sides. The height of these landforms are represented on maps by various means. 1. Contour lines Contours are lines on topographical maps joining places of the same height above sea level. These lines do not cross each other. The difference in height between a contour line and the one next to it is known as the vertical interval
The arrangement of contour lines show the relief of the landforms. Relief refers to the change in the elevation of the land. The wider the spacing of the contour lines, the gentler the slope ; the closer the spacing of the contour lines, the steeper the slope. 2. Spot Heights Spot heights are dots on topographical maps, with the height indicated beside or below each dot. Where height indications for contour lines are unclear on a map, spot heights are useful estimates of the heights of these contours.
3. Trigonometrical (trig) stations
Major trig stations are landmarks on peaks of hills, and symbolised on maps by dots enclosed in triangle. Minor trig stations are indicated by a similar triangular symbol which is upside down. The heights of the stations are given beside each symbol. Types of slopes
1. Concave slope Concave slope is a geographical feature with inconstant slopes. The upper part is steeper than the lower part. The concave slope is represented by the closely spaced contour in the upper locations and gradually become widely spaced in the lower areas.
2. Convex slope
Convex slope is a geographical feature with inconstant slopes. The
upper part is less steep than the lower part. The convex slope is represented by the contour lines that have opposite features to the concave slope. In other words, the lower contours are closely spaced, and become more distant in the upper level. 3. Stepped slope Stepped slopes comprise alternating steep sections separated by flatter sections. Hence, sections of narrowly spaced contour lines alternate with widely- spaced lines on topographical maps.
4. Uniform slope Uniform slopes have the same degree of steepness throughout. Contour lines are evenly spaced on topographic maps.
