Ch.2 Vocabulary
Topography: is the shape of the land
Elevation: the height above sea level of a point on Earth’s surface
Relief: 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 Earth’s
surface
Plain: is a landform made up of nearly flat or gently rolling land with low relief
Mountain: is a landform with high elevation and high relief
Mountain range: is a group of mountains that are closely related in shape, structure, and age
Plateau: a landform that has high elevation and 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: is a flat model of all or part of Earth’s surface as seen from above
Globe: is a sphere that represents Earth’s entire surface
Scale: relates distance on a map to a distance on Earth’s surface
Symbols: mapmakers use shapes and pictures to stand for features on Earth’s surface
Key: or legend, is a list of all the symbols used on the map with an explanation of their meaning
Degree: is 1/360 of the distance around a circle
Equator: forms an imaginary line that circles Earth
Hemisphere: in one half of the sphere that makes up Earth’s surface
Prime meridian: makes a half circle from the North Pole to the South Pole
Latitude: or distance in degrees north or south of the equator
Longitude: the distance in degrees east or west of the prime meridian
Map projection: is a framework of lines that helps in transferring points on Earth’s three dimensional
surface onto a flat map
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 surface based on the data
Pixels: a satellite image is made up of thousands of tiny dots
Global Positioning System (GPS): is a method of finding latitude, longitude, and elevation of points on
Earth’s surface using a network of satellites
Topographic map: is a map showing the surface features of an area
Contour line: connects points of equal elevation
Contour interval: the change in elevation from contour line to contour line
Index contours: are labeled with the elevation in round units, such as 1,600 or 2,000 feet above sea
level