What does the color brown represent on a topographic map?

On a topographic map, the color brown is used to represent contour lines, which indicate the elevation and the shape of the terrain. These lines connect points of equal elevation, helping to illustrate the relief of the landscape. When examining a topographic map, the brown lines signify how steep or gentle a slope is, with closer lines indicating steep terrain and lines spaced farther apart signaling flatter areas. Understanding this representation is crucial for activities such as hiking, land development, and environmental studies, as it provides essential information about landforms and elevation changes in a given area.

The other options do not accurately represent the function of the color brown on a topographic map. Vegetation is typically shown in green, man-made features like roads and buildings might be represented in other colors, and water bodies are usually indicated in blue. This clear differentiation in color usage helps map readers quickly understand the features and the topography of the area being represented.