Wegenkaart

Wegenkaart is a term used in Dutch-speaking contexts to denote a road map or road atlas. It refers to a map that prioritizes roads and routes to aid navigation and travel, often spanning regional, national, or international coverage.

A wegenkaart typically emphasizes highways, main roads, and secondary roads, along with junctions, distance markers, and travel infrastructure such as rest areas and service stations. Many editions also include topographic features, administrative boundaries, water bodies, and places of interest to help travelers plan trips. The level of detail is commonly expressed through map scales, with regional or country-wide editions ranging from about 1:100,000 to 1:500,000, and more detailed regional or city-focused maps using scales around 1:50,000 or larger.

Formats have evolved from traditional printed paper atlases to digital forms. Paper wegenkaarten are still sold as pocket atlases or larger regional books, while digital versions appear in GPS devices, car infotainment systems, and online mapping platforms. Digital wegenkaarten offer dynamic routing, real-time updates, and search functionality, often incorporating data from open-source or commercial map datasets.

Compared with topographic maps, wegenkaarten are more focused on navigable routes and driving information rather than terrain details. They are distinct from street maps that emphasize local street-level detail. In the digital era, the term remains in use to describe road-oriented maps and routing tools used by motorists and travelers. See also road atlas, street map, topographic map, and OpenStreetMap.