topography
Is the shape of the land and includes the area's elevation, relief, and landforms. An area's topography may be flat, sloping, hilly, or mountainous.
elevation
is the height above sea level of a point on Earth's surface
relief
is the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest parts of an area.
landform
is a feature of topography, such as a hill or valley, formed by the processes that shape the Earth's surface. Different landforms have different combinations of elevation and relief.
plain
Is a landform made up of nearly flat or gently rolling land with low relief
mountains
A landform with high elevation and high relief.
mountain range
a group of mountains that are closely related in shape, structure, and age.
plateau
a landform that has high elevation nd a more or less level surface.
landform region
A large area of land where the topography is made up mainly of one type of landform.
map
a flat model of all or part of Earth's surface as seen from above. Maps and globes are drawn to scale and use symbols to represent topography and other features on Earth's surface.
globe
a sphere that represents Earth's entire surface.
scale
relates distance on a mpa to distance on Earth's surface.
symbols
shapes and pictures used by mapmakers to stand for features on Earth's surface. A symbol can represent a physical feature, such as a river, lake, mountain, or plain.
key
or legend, is a list of all the symbols used on the
degree
A unit used to measure distances around a circle. One degree equals 1/360 of a full circle.
equator
an imaginary line drawn around the earth equally distant from both poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres and constituting the parallel of latitude 0�.
hemisphere
is one half of the sphere that makes up Earth's surface
Prime Meridian
The meridian, designated at 0� longitude, which passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England. Places east of the prime meridian are in the Eastern Hemisphere. Places west of the prime meridian are in the Western Hemisphere.
latitude
Distance north or south of the equator. The equator is the starting line for measuring the latitude. The latitude of the equator is 0 degrees.
longitude
Distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees.
map projection
Is a framework of lines that helps to transfer points on earths three-dimensional surface onto a flat map.
surveying
maps were made by locating points on Earth's surface in a process called surveying. mapmakers determine distances and elevations using instruments and the principles of geometry.
digitizing
the process by which mapmakers convert the location of map points to numbers.
satellite images
pictures of the land surface based on computer data collected from satellites
pixels
dots that make up an image
Global Positioning System (GPS)
is a method of finding latitude, longitude, and elevation of points on Earth's surface using network of satellites.
topographic map
A map that shows the surface features of an area. To read a topographic map, you must familiarize yourself with the map's scale and symbols and interpret the map's contour lines.
contour lines
lines that connect points of equal elevation. Mapmakers use contour lines to represent elevation, relief, and slope on topographic maps.
contour interval
the change in elevation from contour line to contour line.
index contours
Every fifth contour line on a topographic map that is printed bolder for reference.