Nautical charts versus aeronautical charts: Do nautical maps/charts primarily present prominent landmarks for air navigators, or are they intended for marine navigation features?

Introduction / Context:
Map types are specialized. Nautical charts and aeronautical charts serve different users and depict different features. This question clarifies that nautical charts are intended for vessels navigating waterways, coasts, and oceans, not aircraft.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Nautical charts include data critical to safe marine travel.
• Aeronautical charts support aircraft routing and airspace compliance.
• “Prominent landmarks” for pilots appear on visual flight rules (VFR) aeronautical charts, not nautical charts.

Concept / Approach:
Nautical charts show depths, soundings, shoreline features, buoys, lights, currents, hazards, and aids to navigation like beacons and ranges. Aeronautical charts show airports, controlled airspace classes, radio navigation aids, obstacles, minimum safe altitudes, and visual checkpoints. Conflating them leads to misuse and safety risks.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Compare a coastal nautical chart with a VFR sectional aeronautical chart for the same region; the symbology and data types are clearly different and audience-specific.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Claiming primary use for air navigators (option B) is incorrect.
• Road atlases (option C) focus on highways and distances.
• Cadastral plats (option D) show parcels and boundaries.
• Geological maps (option E) depict rock units and structures, not navigation.

Common Pitfalls:
Assuming “landmarks” on any map serve pilots; overlooking that nautical chart “landmarks” are aids for fixing a vessel’s position from sea, not from air.

Final Answer:
Incorrect: nautical charts are for marine navigation, not air navigation