show natural natural features of the environment (e.g. rivers, mountains and deserts).

show political units such as countries, states or provinces.

show a combine of both political and physical maps.

shows small areas in details, the location of roads and other significant features (e.g. hospitals and schools).

show features of the environment in more details (e.g. shapes of the land and contour lines).

illustrate a specific theme such as location of tourist sites.

use different colour shades to show the amount or value of something in an area ( e.g. ticket prices at a basketball stadium).

are weather charts that provide information about weather conditions over a large area.