Common contour interval values on maps are typically which of the following?

Common contour interval values on maps are typically which of the following?

• A. 50m
• B. 5m
• C. 100m
• D. 10m or 20m

Answer: (D)

Contour interval is the vertical distance between adjacent contour lines on a map, and it decides how finely terrain changes are shown. Ten- and twenty-meter intervals are common because they give enough detail to read slopes and terrain features without crowding the map with lines. A five-meter interval, while more precise, can clutter the map and overwhelm labels at typical scales, whereas fifty- or one-hundred-meter intervals blur smaller terrain changes and hinder route planning. So, ten or twenty meters strikes the practical balance you’ll see on standard topographic maps.

Contour interval is the vertical distance between adjacent contour lines on a map, and it decides how finely terrain changes are shown. Ten- and twenty-meter intervals are common because they give enough detail to read slopes and terrain features without crowding the map with lines. A five-meter interval, while more precise, can clutter the map and overwhelm labels at typical scales, whereas fifty- or one-hundred-meter intervals blur smaller terrain changes and hinder route planning. So, ten or twenty meters strikes the practical balance you’ll see on standard topographic maps.