click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Chapter 1
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Topography | The shape of the land determined by elevation, relief, and landform. |
| Relief | The difference in elevation between the highest and lowest parts of an area. |
| Elevation | Height above sea level. |
| Landform | A feature of topography formed by the processes that shape Earth's surface. |
| Plain | A landform made up of flat or gently rolling land with relief. |
| Mountain | A landform with high elevation and high relief. |
| Mountain range | A group of mountains that are closely related in shape, structure, area, and age. |
| Plateau | A large landform that has high elevation and a more or less level surface. |
| Landform region | A large area of land whee the topography is made up mainly of one type of landform. |
| Globe | A sphere that represents Earth's entire surface. |
| Map | A flat model of all or part of Earth's surface as seen from above. |
| Symbol | On a map, a picture used by mapmakers to stand for features on Earth's surface. |
| Map projection | A framework of lines that helps to transfer points on Earth's surface onto a flat map. |
| Key | A list of the symbols used on a map and their meanings. |
| Scale | Used to relate distance on a map or globe to distance on Earth's surface. |
| 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 to the South pole and that passes through Greenwich, England. |
| Latitude | The distance in degrees north or south of the equator. |
| Longitude | The distance in degrees east or west of the prime meridian |
| Degree | A unit used to measure distances around a circle. One degree equals 1/360 of a full circle. |
| Surveying | The process of gathering information by a map using instruments and the principles of geometry to determine distance and elevations. |
| Digitizing | Converting information to numbers for use by a computer. |
| Pixel | One bit of a digitized image, often appearing as a small square or dot. |
| Aerial photograph | A photograph taken by cameras mounted in airplanes. |
| Satellite image | A picture of the land surface based on computer data collected from satellites. |
| Global Positioning system | A navigation system that uses satellite signals to locate a radio receiver on Earth's surface. |
| Geographic Information System | A system of computer hardware and software used to produce interactive maps. |
| Topographic map | A map that shows 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. |
| Index contour | On a topographic map, a heavier contour line that is labeled with elevation of that contour line. |