Chapter 2: Mapping Our World
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Created by:
przestrzelski4 on May 21, 2012
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25 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 cartography | the science of mapmaking |
| equator | circles Earth halfway between the north and south poles; separates Earth into two equal halves called the northern and southern hemispheres |
| latitude | distance in degrees north or south of the equator; equator serves as reference point (0 degrees latitude); horizontal; parallel; east-west; also called minutes |
| longitude | distance in degrees east or west of the prime meridian (represents 0 degrees longitude); vertical; north-south; also called semicircles |
| time zones | 24 time zones; each 15 degrees wide; |
| International Date Line | 180 degrees meridian; serves as the transition line for calendar days; West-gain a day; East-lose a day; runs through Greenwich, England |
| Mercator projection | map used mainly for the navigation of planes and ships; shapes of landmasses are correct but their areas distorted; has parallel lines of latitude and longitude |
| conic projection | made by projecting points and lines from a globe onto a cone; little distortion in the areas or shapes of landmasses that fall along the line of latitude that is where the cone touches the globe; distortion near top and bottom; high degree of accuracy for small areas; used for weather and road maps |
| gnomonic projection | made by projecting points and lines from a globe onto a piece of paper that touches the globe at a single point; distort direction and distance between landmasses; useful in plotting great-circle routes and long-distance trips by air and sea |
| elevation | distance of a location above or below sea level |
| topographic map | show the hills, valleys, mountains, rivers, forests and bridges in an area; use lines, symbols and colors to represent changes in elevation/features |
| contour lines | connects points of equal elevation; never cross |
| contour interval | difference in elevation between two side-by-side contour lines |
| index contours | numbers that mark the elevation of a contour line |
| depression contour lines | used to mark features such as volcanic craters and mines lower than the surrounding landscape |
| map legend | explains what the symbols on maps represent |
| map scale | the ratio between distances on a map and the actual distances on the surface of Earth; 3 types: verbal, graphic, and fractional |
| verbal scale | expresses distance as a statement; Ex: "one centimeter is equal to one kilometer," means that one centimeter on the map is equal to one kilometer on Earth's surface |
| graphic scale | consists of a line that represents a certain distance; line broken down into sections, with each section representing a distance |
| fractional scale | expresses distance as a ratio; Ex: 1:63 500, means that one unit on the map represents 63, 500 units on Earth's surface |
| electromagnetic spectrum | the arrangement of electromagnetic radiation according to wavelengths |
| Landsat satellite | receives reflected wavelengths of energy emitted by Earth's surface; used to study the movements of Earth's plates, rivers, earthquakes, and pollution |
| Topex/Poseidon satellite | uses radar to map features on the ocean floor, to study tidal changes, and global ocean currents |
| Global Positioning System | a navigational system involving satellites and computers that can determine the latitude and longitude of a receiver on Earth by computing the time difference for signals from different satellites to reach the receiver |
| Sea Beam | located on a ship and uses sonar (sound waves) to measure objects underwater; used to calculate the distance to the ocean bottom and map the ocean floor |
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