What are contours?

Contours are lines that show how high or low something is on a map, like steps going up a hill.

Imagine you're playing with building blocks. If you stack them in rows, each row is one step higher than the last, just like contours on a map. When you look at a mountain from above, contours help you see how steep or flat it is without actually climbing it.

Think of a hill. If you walk around it and draw a line where your feet are every time you go up one step, that’s like drawing a contour. The closer the lines are together, the steeper the hill, just like how steps get closer when you're going up a really steep staircase.

On a map, contours look like wavy lines. If you follow one line all around, it's like walking along a path that stays at the same height, kind of like a pretend fence that goes around a hill. The more lines there are, the more detailed the map becomes, helping you imagine how the land looks from above.