World Geo vocab, Ch. 1, sec 1 and 2

Spatial thinking

Thinking about the space on Earth's surface, including where places are located and why they are there.

significant

important

geographic patterns

similarities among places

Geopraphic information systems

they create maps and analyze patterns using layers of data

Categorize

place in a particular class or group

absolute location

the exact point where a location is located

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A system that determines the precise position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and receivers. to find absolute location

Relative location

The position of a place in relation to another place

Region

a group of places with common traits

Terrace

A flat strip of ground on a hillside used for growing crops

continent

one of the seven large landmasses on the earth

Globe

a sphere that represents Earth's entire surface

map

A two-dimensional, or flat, representation of Earth's surface or a portion of it.

Latitude

imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator

Equator

is the center line of latitude

Longitude

imaginary lines that run north to south

Prime Meridian

0 degrees longitude, there are 180 degrees east and 180 degrees west

hemisphere

half of the earth

Scale

shows how much distance on Earth is shown on the map

Cartographers

Mapmakers that create different kinds of maps for different purposes

Elevation

height above sea level

Relief

the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest parts of an area

Distort

Change shapes

Projections

ways to map earth on a flat surface

Theme

topic