What are the Different Classes of Topographic Maps ?

According to International Cartographic Association (1984) it is possible to classify topographic maps as being either:

• Official Cartography:maps that are edited by official institutions such as Bundesamt für Landestopographie (Switzerland), Institut Géographique National (France, Belgium), etc. Commercial Cartography: maps that are edited by private companies as Orell Füssli (Switzerland), etc.
• Commercial Cartography: maps that are edited by private companies as Orell Füssli (Switzerland), etc..

Another important classification criterion is the scale. One can differentiate within topographic maps:

• Large scale: larger than 1:25 000
• Medium scale: 1:25 000 to approximately 1:250 000
• Small scale: smaller than 1:250 000 to approximately 1:2 500 000
• Very small scale: smaller than 1:2 500 000, usually atlas-maps

Furthermore, various subclasses may be recognised within scale categories depending upon their representational characteristics.