Topography versus cartography: Is “topography” the same as the science/art of map making, or does that term properly belong to “cartography” while topography concerns terrain features and relief?

Introduction / Context:
Precise terminology helps avoid confusion when reading technical drawings and maps. This item differentiates two commonly conflated fields: cartography and topography.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• “Cartography” addresses methods and practice of map production.
• “Topography” addresses the features and relief of a place (natural and artificial).
• Both terms may appear in engineering and planning contexts.

Concept / Approach:
Cartography includes map design, projections, symbology, and data compilation. Topography refers to the configuration of the Earth’s surface—hills, valleys, rivers, and man-made features—and the depiction of relief (often via contours, shading, or grids). A cartographer makes the map; topographic content is one subject that the map can show.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Consult engineering texts: “topographic map” is a map type whose creation is a cartographic act. The subject (topography) and the craft (cartography) are distinct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Calling topography “map making” (option B) mislabels the disciplines.
• Political boundaries only (option C) describes political maps.
• Underwater only (option D) would be bathymetry, not general topography.
• Legal interchangeability (option E) does not exist; they are distinct concepts.

Common Pitfalls:
Using “topographic” to mean any map; forgetting that topography includes human-made features like roads and structures as well as natural relief.

Final Answer:
Incorrect: cartography is map making; topography describes terrain and relief