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Map Vocabulary
17 Map Vocabulary Words
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| continent | one of Earth's large bodies of land, including Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America |
| ocean | one of Earth's four large bodies of water; they include Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean |
| hemisphere | one half of a sphere or globe. Earth can be divided into 4 hemispheres. The equator divides Earth into NORTH and SOUTH. The Prime Meridian divides Earth into EAST and WEST. |
| equator | an imaginary line encircling Earth half way between the North Pole and the South Pole; designated as 0 degrees latitude |
| latitude | an imaginary line, or parallel, measuring distance NORTH and SOUTH of the equator |
| longitude | an imaginary line, or meridian, measuring distance EAST and WEST of Earth's Prime Meridian |
| parallel | a line of latitude; they will never meet |
| meridian | any line of longitude; and is EAST and WEST of Earth's Prime Merdian |
| Prime Meridian | the line of longitude labeled 0 degrees longitude. Any place east of the Prime Meridian is labeled E and any place west of it is labeled W. |
| cartographer | a person who makes maps |
| cardinal directions | one of the 4 main points of a compass |
| intermediate directions | a direction half way between two cardinal directions; northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest |
| compass rose | a drawing that indicates directions on a map that include cardinal directions and intermediate directions. |
| scale | a guide that explains the relationship between real distances on Earth and distances on a map |
| symbol | something that stands for something else |
| map key | a guide telling you what each symbol on a map stands for |
| locator | a small map inset in the corner of a larger map that helps you understand where the subject area of the larger is located on Earth |