How many major terrain features are found on a map?

• A. Four
• B. Five
• C. Six
• D. Seven

Answer: (B)

Major terrain features are the large landforms you can identify on a map to gauge the lay of the land for navigation. The six major terrain features you should know are hill, ridge, valley, saddle, plain, and depression. On a topographic map you recognize them by contour patterns: a hill shows concentric closed contour lines with elevations increasing toward the center; a ridge appears as a narrow crest with a sequence of high ground along elongated contours; a valley is a low area where contour lines form V or U shapes that point uphill; a saddle is a low point between ridges, where contours pinch together in a saddle-like shape; a plain is a broad, flat expanse with widely spaced contours; and a depression shows contour lines with tick marks or hatchures indicating a lowered area. Therefore, the standard count of major terrain features on a map is six.