This is the 13897th most frequent Russian word.
обозначать
To designate, signify, or indicate.
Here, 'обозначать' is used to mean 'to represent' or 'to signify' something in a symbolic manner, in this case, a city on a map.
На карте этот символ обозначает город.
On the map, this symbol represents a city.
In this sentence, 'обозначать' is used to signify 'to identify' or 'to point out' important elements in a discussion or presentation.
В своем докладе он хотел обозначить основные проблемы.
In his report, he wanted to pinpoint the main issues.
Here, 'обозначать' conveys the idea of 'to denote' or 'to define', suggesting that a term is used to refer to a specific concept or idea.