![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/India_roadway_map_%2528cropped%2529.png/640px-India_roadway_map_%2528cropped%2529.png&w=640&q=50)
Map symbol
Graphic depiction of a geographic phenomenon / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A map symbol or cartographic symbol is a graphical device used to visually represent a real-world feature on a map, working in the same fashion as other forms of symbols. Map symbols may include point markers, lines, regions, continuous fields, or text; these can be designed visually in their shape, size, color, pattern, and other graphic variables to represent a variety of information about each phenomenon being represented.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/India_roadway_map_%28cropped%29.png/640px-India_roadway_map_%28cropped%29.png)
Map symbols simultaneously serve several purposes:
- Declare the existence of geographic phenomena
- Show location and extent
- Visualize attribute information
- Add to (or detract from) the aesthetic appeal of the map, and/or evoke a particular aesthetic reaction (a "look and feel")
- Establish an overall gestalt order to make the map more or less useful, including visual hierarchy