These are the alphabet used to represent specific items such as buildings,  roads,  power lines, etc.

The first important item in the map alphabet / symbols is knowing what the different colors on a map stand for. 

Here is a quick  reference chart:

A.  Black -. Man made features

B.  Blue -  hydrographic / water features

C. Green- vegetation

D. Brown - elevation / hypsogrsphic features.- contour lines

E.  Red - important areas / populated areas

F.  Purple - changes made to the terrain covered by the map since it was first printed

G. White- no vegetation,  cleared land,  or areas with sparse or scattered foliage.

Remembering these colors can help you to find items on a map faster and enable you to read the terrain you are going to be hiking before you ever set foot on it.

The black colored symbols of a map are also called cultural symbols.  These are human-made objects.  Here is a list of the most common cultural symbols :

A.  Roads

B.  Railroads

C.  Churches

D.  Trails

E.  Buildings

F.  Cemeteries

G.  Bridges

H.  Schools

I.   Quarries / Mines

The blue color is representative of water.  The most common features found with blue color are lakes,  streams,  springs,  and marshes / swamps.

Topographic Map Symbols

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