Displaying Time Series, Spatial, and Space-Time Data with R

Chapter 9

Reference and Physical Maps

A reference map focuses on the geographic location of features. In these maps, cities are named and major transport routes are identified. In addition, natural features such as rivers and mountains are named, and elevation is shown using a simple color shading.

A physical map shows the physical landscape features of a place. Mountains and elevation changes are usually shown with different colors and shades to show relief, using green to show lower elevations and browns for high elevations.

This chapter details how to create a reference map of a northern region of Spain using data from OpenStreetMap and a physical map of Brazil with data from different sources.

9.1 Physical Maps

Brazil1, the world’s fifth ...