Topographic maps provide information about the relief or the shape of the land. Contour lines are the main way the map maker shows the map reader the height, slope of the land on a flat piece of paper. The information which contour lines provide is used to describe the landforms. Part of the skill of using topographic maps is to read the contours and to understand what they tell us.

Contours join places of equal height above sea level.

The height of the land is shown on the contour line, and the difference between each contour is the vertical interval.