NAME: ______

MAP READING

is a term that refers to the of the land.

  • - the height above .
  • - the difference in the elevation in an area.
  • - the physical features of land.
  • are mostly areas of land.
  • have high elevations and relief.
  • are land areas that are high in .
  • There are numerous landform in the United States. We live in the region.

A is a model of a surface as seen from . A map maker is called a

.

  • Cartographers will draw the Earth using different methods to help show the three-dimensional Earth on a , two-dimensional map. This often results in of the areas.
  • projections show the world with where longitude lines meet together at the poles. Because of this, the areas near the are very .
  • An projection shows the of landmasses accurately but the may be distorted.
  • A projection typically shows areas of the world with distortion.
  • main components found in most maps:
  • - describes what is being shown.
  • - is a list that explains the meanings of the found on the map.
  • - shows the (north arrow). If none, assume the of the map is .
  • - a comparison between the on the map and the actual distance on land.
  • equates different units: 1 centimeter equals 1 kilometer.
  • (rf) - the of distance on map to actual distance using units: 1: 10000.
  • - uses a marked off in specific distances


0 1 2 3 4 km

scale maps show areas large.

scale maps show areas small.

Latitude and longitude:

  • lines are lines that extend to around the globe and are to the .
  • Latitude lines are measured and of the equator from .
  • Each 1º of latitude (or longitude) can be broken down into (minutes), each 1’ = ” (seconds).
  • 1ºlatitude= ~ miles.
  • lines are lines () that extend from the to the (also called ).
  • The longitude lines get together the closer they get to the .
  • Longitude is measured east or west of the , which is the º line of longitude.
  • The is the line of longitude, where the day changes.
  • While traveling across the international date line, one a day.
  • The world is divided into approximately time zones.
  • Each time zone is a band of about wide in which the time is the same.
  • As you travel , you hours to the day.
  • There are times zones in the United States of which are in the U.S.

maps show the of the land by labeling .

  • are lines on a map that connect points of equal .
  • The together the contour lines are the the slope.
  • Contour lines that cross a valley or river form a on the map. The "v" always points .
  • contour lines indicate either a or a .
  • marks on the inside of an enclosed circle indicate that it is a .
  • is the difference in elevation between contour lines.
  • are and contour lines with the elevation marked, usually every line.
  • shows the elevation at that exact location.
  • The the land on a topographic map can be measured by dividing the by the .

- The process of collecting about the Earth’s surface from far above.

  • are used to map much of the Earth’s surface.
  • In addition to satellites, on the bottoms of , is used to map the ocean floor.
  • The (gps) is a radio-navigation system of

satellites that allows its users to determine their exact location on Earth.

  • At least satellites are required to a location.
  • A rapidly growing hobby is , which is a “treasure hunt” using gps.