From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtopographyto‧pog‧ra‧phy /təˈpɒɡrəfi $ -ˈpɑː-/ noun [uncountable] technical 1 SGthe science of describing an area of land, or making maps of it2 [+of]SG the shape of an area of land, including its hills, valleys etc —topographer noun [countable] —topographical /ˌtɒpəˈɡræfɪkəl◂ $ ˌtɑː-, ˌtoʊ-/ adjective
Examples from the Corpus
topography• The Bible had always had a local topography in his imagination.• As on land, local topography plays an important role in affecting the distribution of organisms.• This sprawling narrative is a familiar story with a new topography.• Latin America's religious topography is changing rapidly.• The latest software can imitate the texture of flesh or the topography of a mountain range.• That was about all that was known about it, except that the topography was awesome and the rainfall scarce.• The duration of the semiconductor design right depends on if and when the topography is commercially exploited.• Yet the topography of Deerhurst parish and the early estate suggests particular land uses for certain areas.• Standards may be applied nationally, regionally or according to local conditions of land use, topography, meteorology, and so on.Origin topography (1500-1600) Late Latin topographia “description of a place”, from Greek, from topographein “to describe a place” 