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How to read hills, valleys and cliffs from contour lines.
Each contour joins points of equal height; the gap between two lines, the contour interval, is in the legend. Lines close together mean steep, far apart mean flat. Closed rings are hilltops, the innermost the highest. Sharp V shapes are stream valleys, with the point aiming uphill. Small ticks on a line mark a depression.
Useful: Before a hike, count the lines between start and summit and multiply by the interval: that's your climb.
Source: en.wikipedia.org