A topographic map records two kinds of landscape: the physical (natural) landscape and the cultural (human) landscape. Being able to identify each is a key SPM skill.
Physical landscape
The physical landscape is made up of features formed by nature, without human action. Examples include mountains, hills, valleys, rivers, waterfalls, lakes, swamps, forests, beaches and coastlines. On the map these are usually shown in blue (water) and green (vegetation), and relief is shown by contours.
Key idea
Physical landscape = natural features (rivers, hills, forests). Cultural landscape = human-made features (roads, towns, farms). If people built it, it is cultural.
Cultural landscape
The cultural landscape is made up of features created by human activity. Examples include settlements (towns and villages), roads, railways, bridges, ports, airfields, farms, oil-palm and rubber estates, factories, mines and places of worship. These are often shown by symbols and coloured lines.
Example
A river winding through green forest is physical; a bridge carrying a road across that river, and the town beside it, are cultural.
Interaction
The two landscapes influence each other. Flat land near a river attracts settlement and farming, while steep, forested highlands discourage building. In turn, humans change the physical landscape by clearing forest, building dams and reshaping land for estates. When reading a map, look at how roads follow valleys and how towns cluster on level ground, because these patterns show the physical landscape guiding where the cultural landscape develops.
Remember
- Natural = physical; man-made = cultural.
- Relief and drainage strongly affect where people settle.
- Human activity can alter the physical landscape.