Editing Nautical chart (section)

{{short description|Topographic map of a maritime area and adjacent coastal regions}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2013}}
[[File:NOAA chart 25664 1976.png|thumb|upright=1.5|A 1976 United States [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] chart of part of [[Puerto Rico]]]]
[[File:OpenSeaMap-Warnemünde.png|thumb|A nautical chart of the [[Warnemünde]] harbor shown on [[OpenSeaMap]]]]

A '''nautical chart''' or '''hydrographic chart''' is a graphic representation of a [[sea]] region or [[water body]] and adjacent [[coast]]s or [[river bank|banks]]. Depending on the [[scale (map)|scale]] of the chart, it may show depths of water ([[bathymetry]]) and heights of land ([[topography]]), natural features of the seabed, details of the coastline, [[navigational hazards]], locations of natural and human-made aids to [[navigation]], information on [[tide]]s and [[Ocean current|current]]s, local details 
of the [[Earth's magnetic field]], and human-made structures such as [[harbor|harbours]], buildings, and bridges. Nautical charts are essential tools for [[marine navigation]]; many countries require vessels, especially commercial ships, to carry them. Nautical charting may take the form of charts printed on paper (raster navigational charts) or computerized [[electronic navigational chart]]s. Recent technologies have made available paper charts which are printed "on demand" with cartographic data that has been downloaded to the commercial printing company as recently as the night before printing. With each daily download, critical data such as [[Local Notice to Mariners|Local Notices to Mariners]] are added to the on-demand chart files so that these charts are up to date at the time of printing.