a map that represents the political subdivisions of the world, of continents, or of major geographic regions. Political maps are divided into general, or survey, maps and specialized maps. General political maps show the political divisions of the area being mapped, that is, the location of countries and the area they occupy. They also show major political centers, strategic points, and lines of communication of international and national significance. Specialized political maps treat specific political problems and political events. General political maps are most common.

In the USSR, political maps of the world at scales of 1:15,000,000, 1:30,000,000, and 1:50,000,000 are published systematically, as are political maps of the continents and groups of countries at scales from 1:5,000,000 to 1:12,500,000. World political atlases are also published, including pocket atlases, small atlases with indexes of geographic names, and book-format atlases, with indexes of geographic names.