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Geography Glossary Written by Paula Long    Geography Glossary birds-eye-view - a view from a high location as a bird might see it cartography - the study and practice of making maps   climate - the average weather in a certain area over a period of time   compass-rose - a symbol used on maps to show North-South-East-West orientation   continents - the large landmasses of the earth   contour lines - thin, brown, curvy lines on a map which represent land elevation.   cross-hatching - parallell and crossed lines are used  to designate an area on a map Click on the map to see an enlarged image.  Cross-hatching shows Coastal Feeding and Migration areas.   distribution map - a map that uses color to show population information Orangutan Distribution on Borneo   earth axis - earth's tilt in relation to the sun   elevation -  the height of the land in relation to sea level environment - the living or non-living things that are naturally on the earth; different parts of the earth have different environments   equator -  an imaginary line equidistant from the North Pole and the South pole, that divides the earth into a Northern Hemisphere and a Southern Hemisphere.   features -  the form or characteristics of something   forecast -  to predict something in advance, such as weather   geographic grid -  a series of lines running north-south and east-west used to measure the position of any place on earth   globe -  a spherical representation of the earth   key - The key lists and defines the symbols found on a map.   layout - the way landmarks are laid out on the ground in relation to each other   legend -  the key to all the symbols on a map   lines of latitude -  the horizontal lines shown running east-to-west on maps; give the location of a place north or south of the equator   lines of longitude -  also called meridians, lines running north-south on maps; used along with lines of latitude to give the location of a place   physical map - A physical map shows permanent natural features such as lakes, rivers, mountains, valleys, etc.   political map - A political map shows lines dividing countries, states, counties, and other territories.   population -  the number of people who live in a certain area  Population of Ithaca - 31,180 2005-2007 estimate American Community Survey (6-24-09) representation -  something that stands for something else   resources - anything used to help one make a living   scale -  tells us how large an area a map represents and lets us figure out the distance between places   David J. Leveson 2002 (6-26-09) symbol -  a symbol is a shape which represents something else   topographic - a topographical map uses shading to show us the shape of the land, such as hills, mountains, and valleys     Last Updated ( Friday, 26 June 2009 )   Next > [ Back ]