Map Terms Flashcards
Cartography
the study and practice of making maps
Scale
ratio of the distance on a map to the corresponding distance on the ground
Projection
systematic transformation from the lattitudes and longitudes on a sphere or ellipsoid to locations on a plane
Mercator Projection
cylindrical map projection; represents lines of constant course as straight lines; preserves angles and shapes of small objects; big objects are distorted
Robinson Projection
map projection that shows the entire world at once; neither equal area or conformal
GIS
Geographic Information System: system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage and present all types of geographic information
Remote Sensing
accquisition of information about something without making physical contact with the object
GPS
Global Positioning System; space-based, satellite navigation system; works whenever there is line of site with four satellites
Toponym
study of place names including their origins and use
Site
a point or area on the Earth’s surface
Situation
location of a place relative to other places on Earth
Longitude
a number system used to determine the location of each meridian
Prime Meridian
meridian that passes through Greenwich, England. also known as the 0 degree meridian
Latitude
numbering system to indicate the location of a parallel on Earth
Equator
parallel that is located at 0 degrees
Time Zones
the zone represents every 15 degrees east or west from GMT