Geography 101

1. Geography 101 Basic map reading skills/ Terms

2. Globe • A globe is a scale model of Earth. It is useful for looking at the entire Earth or at large areas of Earth’s surface.

3. Grid • A grid is the pattern of lines that circle the globe in east-west and north-south directions. • The intersection of these imaginary lines help us find places on the map.

4. Latitude (Parallels) and Longitude (Meridians) • Longitude lines are the north to south lines on a globe. They measure 0 degrees to 180 degrees W and E of the Prime Meridian. • Latitude lines (parallels) are the East to West. The run parallel to the Equator. The Measure 0 degrees to 90 degrees North and South. • Longitude lines are imaginary lines that run through the north and south poles. • They are imaginary lines that run “above” and “below” the equator.

5. Equator • It is an imaginary line that circles the globe halfway between the North and South Poles.

6. Prime Meridian • It is an imaginary line that runs through Greenwich, England. O represents the 0 degree longitude.

7. Degrees/ Minutes • Degrees are a unit of measure which represent a distance from the equator • Degrees are broken down into Minutes. There are 60 Minutes in a degree.

8. Hemispheres • The equator and meridian divides the globe into four halves.

9. Continents The planet’s land surface is separated into seven continents.

10. Islands • Islands are landmasses smaller than continents and completely surrounded by water.

11. Ocean • Geographers also organize the Earth’s water calling them oceans. There are 5 different oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Antarctic (Southern), and Arctic.

12. Maps • A map is a flat diagram of all or part of the Earth's surface. • Many types of maps: political, physical, climate, and language.

13. 5 Basic Colors On A Map • Blue - water features like lakes, ponds and streams. • Black - man-made objects or rock features like roads, trails, buildings, cliffs, boulders. • White - open woods you could run through • Green - thick vegetation (light green) or fight (dark green) that you might want to avoid • Yellow - open land, semi-open land, where you can look up and see the sky like fields or power lines. • Brown - land features like earth banks or contours    • See Google Earth: Pisgah National Forest, NC

14. Scale • Scales show distance on a map compared to actual distance. They give the distance in miles and kilometers. • Ex: Model Car

15. Contours • Contour lines are the brown squiggly lines you see on the map. They represent elevation in the landscape.

16. Legend/Key • Explains the what the symbols on a map represent. • Points specify location of things. • Colors can represent elevation. • They can also represent resources, land use, population, and climate.

17. Compass Rose • A tool used to indicate direction. It has arrows that point to all four Cardinal directions (North, South, East, West) and Intermediate Directions (NE, NW, SE, SW). • When would I use this?

18. Map Projections • There are two main types of Maps: Flat or Round. These two different types are called map projections. • These two main projections are paper maps and a globe map

19. Map Projections: Equal Area • Equal Area projections keep the correct size of the continents or oceans, but may lose the exact location.

20. Map Projections: Robinson • This is the most useful projection, but it distorts the image. Continents may not be in the correct location or the correct size. They are used to give an overall idea.

21. Map Projections: Mercator • This projection keeps the shape and location, but distorts the distance and size of continents and oceans.