Cadastral Map

http://svc.mt.gov/msl/mtcadastral/
Cadastral maps have been used dating back to the Roman Empire to plot property or mark districts in a region. This map of Montana, US is an aerial view that distinguishes the different counties. Cadastral maps are incredibly useful for administrative purposes in government especially when dividing tax districts.

Thematic Map

http://library.buffalo.edu/maps/findingmaps/thematic_maps.php
This map of Europe displaying population density is a thematic map. Thematic maps can be used to display a specific aspect to a geographical area, whether it be sociological, political, etc. The varying degrees of the theme are most often indicated by a palette of color.

Topographic Map

http://mapconnect.ga.gov.au/MapConnect/?site=250K&accept_agreement=on
This is an example of a topographic map focused on the area around Melbourne, Australia. In this topographic map, we can see the contrast in both the contouring of the land as well as the different changes in vegetation.

Planimetric Map

http://ramkitten.squidoo.com/mapcompass
This map of Portland, Oregon is classified as planimetric because of its two dimensional shape. While this map type is good for showing roads, boundaries, water reservoirs or other simple recreational information, it does fail to show the contour of the land and seems to be only useful for small land areas.

I wanted an Aimee Mann song to automatically play as you peruse through this catalog of maps but I couldn't figure out how to make it work.