Definition

A representation (usually on a flat medium) of all or a portion of the EARTH or other CELESTIAL BODY, showing the relative size and position of features to some given SCALE or PROJECTION; also, a representation of all or part of the CELESTIAL SPHERE. A map may emphasize, generalize, or omit the representation of certain features to satisfy specific requirements. Maps are frequently categorized and referred to according to the type of information which they are primarily desi­gned to convey, to distinguish them from maps of other types.