Talk:Physical map

Definition of physical map

The term "physical map" is very rarely used (in 2026) so it certainly does not deserve an article. Many important sources do not mention it at all:

• The Glossary of the Mapping Sciences published by American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing - has no mention of "physical map"
• The ESRI GIS dictionary - has no mention of "physical map"

So what does (did) the term "physical map" designate? The History of Cartography (vol 6 "20th century") does mention it twice on page 107, where it has "...a gradual shift of emphasis from the general political and physical maps to topical maps including more demographic and environmental themes ...". See also p 51. It is clear from the usage in this source that a physical map focuses on topography and the physical surface of the earth, rather than man-made features, particularly political boundaries. Google, FWIW, agrees with that assessment. The modern term for a map that focuses on the physical features is topographic map.

Therefore, the best thing to do is to redirect physical map to topographic map. Noleander (talk) 00:03, 27 August 2026 (UTC)