Ace the TExES Social Studies Challenge 2025 – Unlock Your Teaching Superpowers!

Physical maps are designed to highlight the natural geographic features of an area, such as landforms and bodies of water. This includes rivers, mountain ranges, and lakes, which are prominently displayed to convey the topography and natural landscape of the region.

Cities, while important from a human geography perspective, are not the primary focus of physical maps. Instead, they may be depicted on political or thematic maps that emphasize human-made structures and urban development. Therefore, the presence of cities is less characteristic of a physical map, making this the least likely feature to appear on such a type of map. Understanding the distinction between physical and political maps is crucial for interpreting various types of geographic information accurately.