On a political map, what do different colors typically represent?

On a political map, different colors are primarily used to represent countries or states. This use of color helps viewers easily distinguish between different political entities, highlighting boundaries between nations, regions, or administrative divisions within a country. Each color typically corresponds to a specific nation or state, making it visually clear where one political area ends and another begins.

While natural resources, topography, and population density can influence various types of maps, these aspects are commonly represented in different formats and styles. For instance, natural resources may be depicted through symbols or patterns rather than colors, topographical maps use shading and contour lines to indicate elevation, and population density is often illustrated with gradients or specific shading techniques that indicate varying levels of density rather than discrete color blocks associated with political boundaries.