What is a thematic map?

A thematic map is designed to focus on specific themes or subjects and is often characterized by how it visually represents data based on attributes. The choice referring to a map that has been symbolized based on attributes accurately captures this essence.

Thematic maps may utilize colors, symbols, or patterns to highlight particular data trends or distributions, such as population density or resource availability. For instance, a thematic map could illustrate land use, climate variation, or incidence of disease by symbolically displaying this information in ways that make it easy to interpret visually.

In contrast, the other options describe maps that may be informative but do not singularly focus on a specific theme through the use of attributes. Maps indicating political boundaries and those depicting physical terrain or population density can serve thematic purposes, but they generally do not embody the core definition of thematic maps, which emphasize the representation of thematic data and its characteristics.