Figure‑Ground
In the term “figure‑ground,” the word “figure” refers to the foreground, or focus, of
the map, and the term “ground” refers to the background. For a map of topography
of the Galapagos Islands, for example, the islands are the figure and the surround‑
ing water is the ground. If the map is of the bathymetry surrounding the Galapagos
Islands however, the focus would be switched and the water would be the figure and
the islands would be the ground