Map Types

A modern map of a historical site or event

This map compares how America looked before the Louisiana Purchase to how it looks now.

A physical map shows the physical features of an area. 

It gives information about the topography, or the height, depth, and shape, of these features sometimes by shades of color.

Identify mountains, deserts, bodies of water, and other landforms.

This map from K. Musser shows the waterways the feed into the Boeuf River.

Shows the borders between parishes, towns, states, or countries and large bodies of water.

Political maps can cover large areas such as entire continents, or small areas such as states or cities.

This map by www.geology.com shows the different parishes in Louisiana and the name.

Climate maps show us the weather patterns that have been observed in a given area over a long period of time. By looking at a climate map, you can see the areas that receive more rainfall and areas that have dry weather. 

This map by the U. S. Department of Energy shows the different climate zones in the United States.

This is used to help choose plants, building codes, and insurance.

Economic maps show us the location of certain natural resources and labor resources that are important to our economy.

Symbols and letters are used to represent the resources present in the area. For example, a green square on this map represents a refinery. (louisiana.gov)