Thematic Map

http://www.pollster.com/blogs/interpreting_polls/

A thematic map is a map that displays a physical area, but represents some other type of information, such as social, cultural, economic, etc. This particular map represents the political divisions of the United States in the most recent presidential election. The red states are states whose electoral votes went to John McCain, which the blue states represent states whose votes went to Barrack Obama. This leaves the orange states to represent states who did not declare a clear winner. This map is displayed on the news and internet during and after an election so that people are able to see how the country voted in that election.

Topographic Map

http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/ghana_topographic_map

A topographic map displays elevation of an area. This particular map uses different colors to differentiate between different levels of the land, with orange representing the highest levels of elevation and bright green representing the lowest. These types of maps tend to have many details. They display contour lines, as well as natural and man-made features of the area being displayed.

Planimetric Map

http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/Penn_planimetric_map.html

This is a planimetric map, which shows an area's horizontal position. It is similar to an aereal image, but does not show elevation. These types of maps display roads and basic bodies of water. All vertical features are ignored.