Geography question for people who are good at geography about contour lines and maps etc?

Question

What is a contour line?
Is the contour line the wavy line shown on a map which has loads of numbers on it?
How do you tell how high something is above seal level on a six figure grid reference map?
How do you tell whether somethign is uphill or downhill?

Even if you can answer one of these questions I would be really grateful.
Thankyou thankyou thankyou xxxxxxxxx

Answer 1

Contour lines join spots that have equal or the same elevation. Depending on who produces the particular map it may be in feet or may be in meters. Most are feet and the lines have a height interval of 25 ft.



The contours are the little brownish-orange lines that run all over the page.



When you see contour lines fairly close together it may be a hill but it might also be a valley. You have to follow the line around until you get to its number. Then go to the next one or the one beside it and follow that line until you get to its number. Compare the two numbers. If they are getting larger then it is a hill; if they are getting smaller then you have a valley. The closer the lines the steeper the slope of the hill or valley. Most contour line show elevation difference of 25ft (contour interval).



The military grid reference is your 6 figure grid reference. This reference will have no bearing on the contour lines. The only way to tell the height is to find out the contour interval then start looking at the contour lines. You follow the lines around reading the heights (some will be labeled with a height and some won't - if not labeled and it is right beside one that is labeled then it will be higher or lower by whatever the contour interval number is.

You have to study the contour lines and use the interval number to help figure out the height. You should be able to find the height of any place on your topographical map. Remember that in some cases you will be estimating because you will be between contour lines.



Here is a good site with a sample - the contour interval is 80 ft on this map (scroll just over 1/2 way down to the green map

http://www.compassdude.com/topographic-maps.shtml



Here is another with diagrams - It is a pdf file. When you get it open go to pages 19 and 20.

http://www.iowadnr.com/education/files/mapcomp.pdf

Answer 2

contour lines are the orange lines on an ordnance survey map, if you follow a line it should have a number like 300.



it means that at that particular spot it will be 300 feet or metres above sea level, i can't remember if they use feet or metres.



uphill or downhill? height is measured from lowest point, the higher up the smaller the contour lines.



6 figure grid ref map will have contour lines.

Answer 3

Contour lines are line on a map which represents a contour or points of equal elevation.



Yes the wavy line.



Dunno



Dunno

Answer 4

Yogi...Love your answer, but remember that the other side of a valley is a hill and that the othe side of the hill is a valley.

Answer 5

There are many types of contour lines.



http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2004-24,RNWE:en&q=what+is+a+contour+line



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contour_line