Chapter 1- Mapping Earth's Surface Vocabulary Flashcards
elevation
height above sea level
topography
the shape of land determined by elevation, relief, and landforms
relief
the difference in elevation between the highest and the lowest parts of an area
landform
a feature of topography formed by the processes that shaped Earth’s surface
landform region
a large area of land where topography is similar
plain
a landform made up of flat or gently rolling land with low relief
mountain
a landform with high elevation and high relief
mountain range
a series of mountains that have the same general shape and structure
plateau
a landform that has high elevation and more or less level surface
lithosphere
Earth’s solid outer layer. One of the four spheres in which scientist divide Earth.
atmosphere
the mixture of gases that surround Earth, the outermost sphere
hydrosphere
Earth’s water and ice. One of the four spheres in which scientist divide Earth.
biosphere
All living things. One of the four spheres in which scientist divide Earth.
map
a model of all or part of Earth’s surface as seen above
globe
a sphere that represents Earth’s surface
scale
used to compare distance on a map or globe to distance on Earth’s surface
symbols
on a map, pictures used by mapmakers to stand for features on Earth’s surface
key
a list of symbols used on a map
equator
an imaginary line that circles Earth halfway between the North and South poles
hemisphere
one half of the sphere that makes up Earth’s surface
prime meridian
the line that makes a half circle from the North and South Poles that passes through Greenwich, England
degree
a unit used to measure distances around a circle, one degree equals one three- sixtieth of a full circle
latitude
the distance in degrees north or south of the equator
longitude
the distance in degrees east or west of the prime meridian
map projection
a framework of lines that helps to show landmasses on a flat surface
satellite images
pictures of the land surface based on computer data collected from satellites
digitizing
converting information to numbers for use by computer
pixel
the tiny dots in a satellite image
topographic map
a map that shows the surface features of an area
contour line
a line on a topographic map that connects points of equal elevation
contour interval
the difference in elevation from one contour line to the next
Global Positioning System
a method of finding latitude and longitude using satellites
