Symbol

==Symbols in cartography==
{{ main | Map symbol }}

[[File:Cartographic Symbols.jpg|thumb|The three categories of cartographic symbol shapes]]
Symbols are used in cartography to communicate geographical information (generally as point, line, or area features).<ref>{{Cite book |title=Principles of map design |last=Tyner |first=Judith A. |date=2010|publisher=Guilford Press |isbn=9781606235447 |location=New York |oclc=437300476}}</ref> As with other symbols, visual variables such as size, shape, orientation, texture, and pattern provide meaning to the symbol.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Cartography : thematic map design |last1=Dent |first1=Borden D. |last2=Torguson |first2=Jeffrey |last3=Hodler |first3=T. W. |isbn=978-0072943825 |edition=6th |location=New York |publisher=McGraw-Hill Higher Education |oclc=184827987|date=2008-08-21 }}</ref> According to [[semiotics]], map symbols are "read" by map users when they make a connection between the graphic mark on the map (the ''sign''), a general concept (the ''interpretant''), and a particular feature of the real world (the ''referent''). Map symbols can thus be categorized by how they suggest this connection:<ref>MacEachren, Alan (1995) ''How Maps Work: Representation, visualization, and design'', New York: Guilford Press</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title = Cartography : thematic map design | last = Dent |first=Borden D. |isbn=0697384950 |edition = 5th |location=New York |publisher=McGraw-Hill Higher Education| year = 1999 }}</ref>

* '''Pictorial symbols''' (also "image", "iconic", or "replicative") appear as the real-world feature, although it is often in a generalized manner; e.g. a tree icon to represent a forest, or green denoting vegetation.
* '''Functional symbols''' (also "representational") directly represent the activity that takes place at the represented feature; e.g. a picture of a skier to represent a ski resort or a tent to represent a campground.
* '''Conceptual symbols''' directly represent a concept related to the represented feature; e.g. a dollar sign to represent an ATM, or a [[Star of David]] to represent a Jewish synagogue.
* '''Conventional symbols''' (also "associative") do not have any intuitive relationship but are so commonly used that map readers eventually learn to recognize them; e.g. a red line to represent a highway or a cross to represent a hospital.
*'''Abstract/geometric symbols''' (also "ad hoc") are arbitrary shapes chosen by the cartographer to represent a certain feature.