What does it mean when contour lines are far apart?
In this regard, what do contour lines that are farther apart represent?
Contour lines that are relatively close together indicate a slope that is fairly steep. Contour lines that are further apart indicates a slope that is relatively flat.
Then, what is the distance between contour lines called?
The elevation difference between two adjacent contour lines is called the contour interval (CI). Usually the contour interval is noted on the map legend. In most topographic maps every 5th contour line is drawn in bold print or wider than other contours. Such lines are called index contour lines.
Steep slope is when contours are close together. Overlapping contours means there is a cliff. If the contour interval of a topographic map is 25 feet, and every fifth line is an index contour, the difference in elevation between index contours would be 125 feet.