Geography Vocabulary Latitude Latitude Distance north or south

Geography Vocabulary

Latitude • Latitude: Distance north or south of the Equator measured in degrees.

Longitude • Longitude: Distance east or west of the Prime Meridian measured in degrees.

• Equator: Imaginary line that runs around the earth halfway between the North and South Poles; used as the starting point to measure degrees of north and south latitude. Equator

Prime Meridian • Prime Meridian: The line of the global grid running from the North Pole to the South Pole through Greenwich England; starting point for measuring degrees of east and west longitude.

Meridian • Meridian: One of many lines on the global grid running from the North to the South Pole; used to measure degrees of longitude.

Parallel • Parallel: One of the many lines on the global grid that circle the earth north or south of the Equator ; used to measure degrees of latitude.

Absolute Location • Absolute Location: The exact location of a place on the earth described by global coordinates.

Compass Rose • Compass Rose: A device printed on a map or chart showing the points of the compass measured from true magnetic north.

Degree • Degree: The measurement used to find absolute location. Each degree is 1/360 th of the distance around the earth.

Physical Feature • Physical Feature: Characteristic of a place occurring naturally such as a landform, body of water, climate pattern, or a resource.

Cultural Feature • Cultural Feature: A characteristic that humans have created in a place such as language, religion, housing, or a settlement pattern.

Elevation • Elevation: The height of land above sea level.

Harbor • HARBOR: A sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can anchor safely.

Strait • Strait: A narrow stretch of water joining two larger bodies of water.

Atoll • Atoll: An atoll is broadly defined as ring-shaped type of coral reef that surround a central lagoon.

Channel • Channel: Wide strait or waterway between two land masses that lie close to each other (deep part of a river or other waterway).

Peninsula • Peninsula: Body of land jutting into a lake or ocean, surrounded on three sides by water.

• Gulf: Part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally larger and more deeply indented than a bay. Gulf

Plain (Prairie) • Plain: A flat area of land usually at a low elevation and often covered with grasses.

Plateau • Plateau: A land area that has a flat surface raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons.

Topography • Topography: A detailed mapping or charting of the features of a region’s surface configuration.

Climate • Climate: The generally prevailing weather conditions of a region such as temperature or precipitation averaged over a series of years.

Con tig you what ? !? • Contiguous States: States that touch along the side, boundary, or come in contact with another U. S. state. • Noncontiguous States: States that DO NOT touch along the side, boundary, or come in contact with any other U. S. state.