Thematic Map

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/USDA_Hardiness_zone_map.jpg/220px-USDA_Hardiness_zone_map.jpg&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thematic_map&h=220&w=220&sz=23&tbnid=js8zXTEN9dp4RM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=91&zoom=1&docid=d9vySZdtf8dsOM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sw4TT4CYOo_rtgeYt_yQAg&ved=0CDoQ9QEwAQ&dur=4370

This is a thematic map. It takes a certain theme and shows the differences in that theme over a certain region. In the map above it shows the hardiness of plants over the Unites states. This map would be useful if you were wondering what type of plants would grow well in a certain region.