What is a relief map? Relief is the variations in the elevation of the ground surface, also features of height above a plain or reference datum. On a relief map, relief is depicted by hachures or shading, or, more accurately, by contours or by spot elevations or both.

What is a relief feature on a map?

In geography, a location's relief is the difference between its highest and lowest elevations. For example, with both mountains and valleys in the area, the local relief of Yosemite National Park is impressive. A two-dimensional relief map displays the topography of a given area.

How relief is shown on a map?

Contour lines are an effective device for representing relief on topographic maps. They can be defined as an imaginary line connecting points of equal elevation on the ground surface. ... Every fifth or tenth contour starting at sea level is an index contour, which is drawn as a heavier line and is labelled.