| A | B |
|---|
| 0 degrees | Latitude at the equator |
| 90 degrees | Latitude at the poles |
| absolute humidity | The mass of water vapor in the atmosphere per unit of volume of space. |
| absolute location | Exact location on earth; using latitude and longitude |
| accessibility resource | A naturally occurring landscape feature that facilitates interaction between places. |
| accuracy | Degree of conformity with a standard. Accuracy relates to the quality of a result and is distinguished from precision which relates to the quality of the operation by which the result is obtained. |
| acid rain | Rain that has become more acidic than normal (a pH below 5.0) as certain oxides present as airborne pollutants are absorbed by the water droplets. The term is often applied generically to all acidic precipitation. |
| adjustment | Process designed to remove inconsistencies in measured or computed quantities by applying derived corrections to compensate for random or accidental errors. |
| adjustment, land-line | Positioning land lines on a map to indicate their true, theoretical, or approximate location relative to the adjacent terrain and culture, by reconciling the information shown on Bureau of Land Management plats and field records with the ground evidence of the location of the lines. |
| adjustment, standard accuracy | Adjustment of a survey resulting in values for positions and (or) elevations that comply with the National Map Accuracy Standards. |
| air mass | A very large body of atmosphere defined by essentially similar horizontal air temperatures. Moisture conditions are also usually similar throughout the mass. |
| air pressure | Weight of air above any point (decreases with rise in altitiude) |
| Alfred Wegener | Developed the theory of continental drift |
| alluvia | Clay, silt, gravel, or similar detrital material deposited by running water. |
| alluvial soils | Soils deposited through the action of moving water. These soils lack horizons and are usually highly fertile. |
| altimeter | Instrument for measuring altitudes or elevations with respect to a reference level, usually mean sea level. The most common type is an aneroid barometer. A radar altimeter determines the height of an aircraft above the terrain by measuring the time required for an electromagnetic pulse to travel from aircraft to the ground and back. |
| altitude | Height of an object in the atmosphere above sea level. |
| Amazon River | Located in South America and is the longest river in the Western hemisphere |
| Andes Mountains | Mountains that border the west coast of South America |
| Antarctic Circle | A line of latitude located at 66°30' south, delineating the Southern Frigid Zone of the Earth. |
| anthracite | A hard coal containing little volatile matter. |
| aquifer | A rock layer that holds ground water |
| archipelago | A long group of islands, possibly stretching hundreds of miles across the ocean |
| Arctic Circle | A line of latitude located at 66°30' north, delineating the Northern Frigid Zone of the Earth. |
| arete | A sharp, narrow mountain ridge. It often results from the erosive activity of alpine glaciers flowing in adjacent valleys. |
| arid | Dry, used in the term "arid land" that receives little precipitation |
| arroy | A deep gully cut by a stream that flows only part of the year; a dry gulch. A term normally used only in desert areas. |
| atlas | A bound collection of maps. |
| atoll | A ring of coral reef that encloses a lagoon (lagoons are often formed when a volcano colapses or erodes away) |
| axis | Vertical or horizontal line along side or bottom of a graph |
| azimuth | Horizontal direction reckoned clockwise from the meridian plane. |
| backshore | Part of a beach that is usually dry and is reached only by the highest tides; by extension, a narrow strip of relatively flat coast bordering the sea. |
| badlands | Very irregular topography resulting from wind and water erosion of sedimentary rock. |
| bar graph | Length of the bar shows quantities |
| barrier island | An island parallel to a shoreline, usually formed by sand that has been deposited by waves |
| base level | The lowest level to which a stream can erode its bed. The ultimate base level of all streams is, of course, the sea. |
| base map | Map on which information may be placed for purposes of comparison or geographical correlation. The term "base map" was at one time applied to a class of maps now known as outline maps. It may be applied to topographic maps, also termed "mother maps" that are used in the construction of other types of maps by the addition of particular data. |
| basin | Large bowl-shaped region into which waterdrains |
| batholith | A very large body of igneous rock, usually granite, that has been exposed by erosion of the overlying rock. |
| bathymetric map | Maps delineating the form of the bottom of a body of water, or a portion thereof, by the use of depth contours (isobaths). |
| bathymetry | Science of measuring water depths (usually in the ocean) to determine bottom topography. |
| beach (seabeach) | Zone of unconsolidated material that extends landward from the low water line to the place where there is marked change in material or physiographic form, or to the line of permanent vegetation (usually the effective lint of storm waves). |
| bedrock | The solid rock that underlies all soil or other loose material; the rock material that breaks down to eventually form soil. |
| bench mark | Relatively permanent material object, natural or artificial, bearing a marked point whose elevation above or below an adopted datum is known. |
| biological diversity | A concept recognizing the variety of life forms in an area of the Earth and the ecological interdependence of these life forms. |
| bituminous | A soft coal that, when heated, yields considerable volatile matter. |
| boundary | A line indicating the limit of a country, state, or other political jurisdiction. |
| boundary monument | Material object placed on or near a boundary line to preserve and identify the location of the boundary line on the ground |
| boundary survey | Survey made to establish or to reestablish a boundary line on the ground, or to obtain data for constructing a map or plat showing a boundary line. |
| break-in-bulk point | Commonly, a transfer point on a transport route where the mode of transport (or type of carrier) changes and where large-volume shipments are reduced in size. For example, goods may be unloaded from a ship and transferred to trucks at an ocean port. |
| butte | An isolated hill or mountain with steep or precipitous sides, usually having a smaller summit area than a mesa. |
| cadastral map | Map showing the boundaries of subdivisions of land, often with the bearings and lengths thereof and the areas of individual tracts, for purposes of describing and recording ownership. It may also show culture, drainage, and other features relating to land use and value. Thematic map in which areas are colored, shaded, dotted, or hatched to create darker or lighter areas in proportion to the density of distribution of the theme subject. |
| cadastral survey | Survey relating to land boundaries, made to create units suitable for title transfer or to define the limitations of title. Derived from "cadastre" meaning a register of land quantities, values, and ownership, such surveys are more commonly called "land surveys" or "property surveys." |
| canyon | A deep valley with steep sides formed by a river |
| cape | A pointed piece of coastline that juts out to sea |
| caprock | A strata of erosion-resistant sedimentary rock (usually limestone) found in arid areas. Caprock forms the top layer of most mesas and buttes. |
| cardinal directions | North, East, South, and West |
| Caribbean Islands | an archipelagoes located between North and South America |
| carrying capacity | The number of people that an area can support given the quality of the natural environment and the level of technology of the population. |
| cartographer | A person who draws or makes maps or charts. |
| cartography | Science and art of making maps and charts. The term may be taken broadly as comprising all the steps needed to produce a map: planning, aerial photography, field surveys, photogrammetry, editing, color separation, and multicolor printing. |
| CBD | The central business district of an urban area, typically containing an intense concentration of office and retail activities. |
| Central America | The land stretching between southern Mexico and Northern Columbia |
| CFC's (chloroflourocarbons) | Chemicals produced by combustion of fossil fuels and from volcanic activity that can damage the ozone layer |
| chain | Unit of length equal to 66 feet, used especially in the U.S. public land surveys. Steel-ribbon tapes began to supersede chains around 1900, but surveying tapes are often still called "chains" and measuring with a tape is often called "chaining." The chain is a convenient unit in cadastral surveys because 10 square chains equal 1 acre. |
| chaparral | A dense, impenetrable thicket of shrubs or dwarf trees. |
| chart | The term "chart" usually means a map made for sea and air navigation, and to maps of the heavens; the term is sometimes used to describe other special-purpose maps. |
| chart, aeronautical | Charts designed to meet requirements of aerial navigating, produced in several series, each on a specified map projection and differing in scale, format, and content, for use as dictated by type of aircraft and whether flight is to be conducted under visual or instrument flight rules. |
| chart, nautical | Representation of a portion of the navigable waters of the Earth and adjacent coastal areas designed specifically to meet requirements for marine navigation; normally includes depths of water, characteristics of the bottom, elevations topographic features, configuration and characteristics of the coast, the shoreline (mean high water line), dangers, obstructions and aids to navigation. |
| chinook | A warm, dry wind experienced along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. Most common in winter and spring, it can result in a rise in temperature of 20C (35 to 40F) in a quarter of an hour. |
| circle graph | Used to show how the whole is divided into parts |
| climate | The weather patterns of an area over a long period of time |
| climate region | Large area with the same climate |
| climograph | Shows rainfall and temperature averages |
| coastal marsh | Area of salt-tolerant vegetation in brackish and (or) saline-water habitants subject to tidal inundation. |
| coastal plains | Found along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico |
| colony | A settlement or area ruled by another, sometimes distant, country |
| compass rose | used to show the cardinal plus the intermediate directions |
| compilation | Preparation of a new or revised map or chart, or portion thereof, from existing maps, aerial photographs, field surveys, and other sources. |
| confluence | The place at which two streams flow together to form one larger stream. |
| coniferous | Bearing cones; from the conifer family. |
| continent | One of the large, continuous areas of the Earth into which the land surface is divided. |
| continental climate | The type of climate found in the interior of the major continents in the middle, or temperate, latitudes. The climate is characterized by a great seasonal variation in temperatures, four distinct seasons, and a relatively small annual precipitation. |
| continental divide | The line of high ground that separates the oceanic drainage basins of a continent; the river systems of a continent on opposite sides of a continental divide flow toward different oceans. (North America's Continental Divide is in the Rocky Mountains) |
| continental drift | Theory that the continents were joined into one landmass (Pangea) at one time |
| continentality | The quality or state of being a continent. |
| contour | Imaginary line on ground, all points of which are at the same elevation above or below a specific datum. |
| contour interval | Difference in elevation between two adjacent contours. |
| contour line | Connects all areas of equal elevation |
| control station | Point on the ground whose position (horizontal or vertical) is known and can be used as a base for additional survey work. |
| conurbation | An extensive urban area formed when two or more cities, originally separate, coalesce to form a continuous metropolitan region. |
| coordinates | Linear and (or) angular quantities that designate the position of a point in relation to a given reference frame. |
| coordinates, origin of | Points in a system of coordinates which serves as a zero point. |
| coral | Limestone structures or low islands formed from the exoskeletons of tiny sea creatures are made of this material |
| coral reef | A ridge or barrier formed in warm ocean waters from the exoskeletons of the marine animal called coral (Largest: Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia) |
| core | Innermost layer of the earth |
| coulee | A dry canyon eroded by Pleistocene floods that cut into the lava beds of the Columbia Plateau in the western United States. |
| crust | Thin, outer surface of the earth |
| culture | The accumulated habits, attitudes, and beliefs of a group of people that define for them their general behavior and way of life; the total set of learned activities of a people. |
| cumulonimbus cloud | A large, tall cloud that produces thunder, lightning, rain, and sometimes hail |
| current | A portion, part, of a body of water or air that flows continuously in the approximate same path |
| datum (pl. datums) | In surveying, a reference system for computing or correlating the results of surveys. There are two principal types of datums: vertical and horizontal. A vertical datum is a level surface to which heights are referred. |
| deciduous forest | Forests in which the trees lose their leaves each year. |
| degree | A unit of angular measure: A circle is divided into 360 degrees, represented by the symbol o . Degrees are used to divide the roughly spherical shape of the Earth for geographic and cartographic purposes; units of measurement for latitude and longitude. |
| delta | Land made of silt left behind as a river drains into a larger body of water (Examples: Mississippi and Nile River Deltas) |
| demography | The systematic analysis of population. |
| depth curve | Line on a map or chart connecting points of equal depth below the datum. |
| desert | A dry environment with few plants and animals |
| dike | Bank of earth or stone used to form a barrier, frequently and confusingly interchanged with levee. A dike restrains water within an area that normally is flooded. See levee. |
| direction arrow | Indicates the location of north on a map |
| dome | An uplifted area of sedimentary rocks with a downward dip in all directions; often caused by molten rock material pushing upward from below. The sediments have often eroded away, exposing the rocks that resulted when the molten material cooled. |
| dry farming | A type of farming practiced in semi-arid or dry grassland areas without irrigation using such approaches as fallowing, maintaining a finely broken surface, and growing drought-tolerant crops. |
| earthquake | A sudden release of energy causing the earth's crust to move, normally along fault lines |
| elevation | The height or vertical distance of a point on the Earth's surface above or below a reference surface or datum, normally sea level (or mean sea level). |
| elevation profile | A cutaway diagram showing relief |
| emergent coastline | A shoreline resulting from a rise in land surface elevation relative to sea level. |
| enclave | A tract or territory enclosed within another state or country. |
| environment | Includes all the land, water, plants, and animals found in an area |
| equator | Imaginary line one half way between the North and South Poles, designated as 0 degrees latitude; the largest circumference of the Earth. |
| erosion | Group of natural processes including weathering, dissolution, abrasion, corrosion, and transportation that remove material from any part of the Earth's surface. |
| erratic | A boulder that has been carried from its source by a glacier and deposited as the glacier melted. Thus, the boulder is often of a different rock type from surrounding types. |
| escarpment | A long cliff or steep slope separating two comparatively level or more gently sloping surfaces and resulting from erosion or faulting. |
| estuary | That portion of a stream influenced by the tide of the body of water into which it flows; an arm of the sea at a river mouth. |
| extinct | Something that is no longer in existence |
| exurb | A region or district that lies outside a city and usually beyond its suburbs. |
| fall line | The physical boundary between the piedmont and coastal plain regions. The name refers to the many falls and river rapids that occur as the water flows from hard rocks of the higher piedmont onto the softer rocks of the coastal plain. |
| fallow | Agricultural land that is plowed or tilled but left unseeded during a growing season. Fallowing is usually done to conserve moisture. |
| fault (or fault lines) | A fracture or crack in the surface of the earth where movement or displacement of the opposing sides can cause friction and even earthquakes |
| fault block mountain | A mountain mass created either by the uplift of land between faults or the subsidence of land outside the faults. |
| fault zone | A "fault zone" is an area of numerous fractures in the Earth's crust along which movement has occurred; movement be in any direction and involve material on either or both sides of the fracture. |
| feature separation | Process of preparing a separate drawing, engraving, or negative for selected types of data in the preparation of a map or chart. |
| federal system | Government in which powers are shared by national, state, and local levels |
| federation | A form of government in which powers and functions are divided between a central government and a number of political subdivisions that have a significant degree of political autonomy. |
| feral animal | A wild or untamed animal, especially one having reverted to such a state from domestication. |
| fish ladder | A series of shallow steps down which water is allowed to flow; designed to permit salmon to circumvent artificial barriers such as power dams as the salmon swim upstream to spawn. |
| flood plain | Belt of low flat ground bordering a stream channel that is flooded when runoff exceeds the capacity of the stream channel. |
| focality | The characteristic of a place that follows from its interconnections with more than one other place. When interaction within a region comes together at a place (i.e., when the movement focuses on that location), the place is said to possess "focality." |
| folding | Earth's crust buckles in a wavelike pattern |
| forestry map | Map prepared principally to show the size, density, kind, and value of trees in a designated area. |
| freshwater marsh | Tract of low wet ground, usually miry and covered with rank vegetation. |
| functional diversity | The characteristic of a place where a variety of different activities (economic, political, social) occur; most often associated with urban places. |
| geodesy | Science concerned with the measurement and mathematical description of the size and shape of the earth and its gravitational fields. Geodesy also includes the large-scale, extended surveys for determining positions and elevations of points, in which the size and shape of the earth must be taken into account. |
| geographic coordinates | Latitude and longitude lines form an imaginary grid over the Earth's surface. By combining longitude and latitude measurements, any location on earth can be determined. The units of measurement for geographic coordinates are degrees (°), minutes ('), and seconds ("). Like a circle, the Earth has 360 degrees. Each degree is divided into 60 minutes, which in turn is divided into 60 seconds. |
| geography | The study of the earth, the people on it, and the relationships between them |
| geologic map | Map showing the structure and composition of geologic features. |
| geomorphology | The study of the arrangement and form of the Earth's crust and of the relationship between these physical features and the geologic structures beneath. |
| ghetto | Originally, the section of a European city to which Jews were restricted. Today, commonly defined as a section of a city occupied by members of a minority group who live there because of social restrictions on their residential choice. |
| glacial till | The mass of rocks and finely ground material carried by a glacier, then deposited when the ice melted. Creates an unstratified material of varying composition. |
| glaciation | Having been covered with a glacier or subject to glacial epochs. |
| global grid | Latitude and longitude lines |
| globe | A true-to-scale map of the Earth that duplicates its round shape and correctly represents areas, relative size and shape of physical features, distances, and directions. |
| graticule | Network of parallels and meridians on a map or chart. |
| great circle | Any line which divides the earth into two equal parts |
| great circle route | The shortest distance between two places on the Earth's surface. The route follows a line described by the intersection of the surface with an imaginary plane passing through the Earth's center. |
| Great Lakes | Fresh water lakes on the border between the United States and Canada |
| Great Plains | The drier, Higher altitude portion of the interior plain |
| Greenland | The worlds largest island and is located of the northeast coast of North |
| grid | Network of uniformly spaced parallel lines intersecting at right angles, such as those representing latitude and longitude, which helps determine absolute location on a map, often labeled with letters and numbers . The grid usually carries the name of the projection system used for the map, i.e., Lambert grid, universal transverse Mercator (UTM) grid. |
| grid system | Latitude and longitude lines |
| growing season | The period from the average date of the last frost (in the United States, this occurs in the spring) to the first frost in the fall. |
| gulf | Part of an ocean that extends into the land; larger than a bay |
| hachure | Any series of lines used on a map to indicate the general direction and steepness of slopes. The lines are short, heavy, and close together for steep slopes; longer, lighter, and more widely spaced for gentle slopes. |
| harbor | A sheltered place along a coast where boats dock safely |
| hemisphere | Half of the Earth, usually conceived as resulting from the division of the globe into two equal parts north and south (at the Equator) or east and west (at Prime Meridian). |
| high islands | Mountainous and fertile islands formed by built-up volcanoes |
| high relief | Frequent, sizeable drops and rises in the land surface |
| high water | Maximum height reached by a rising tide. The height may be due solely to the periodic tidal forces or it may have superimposed upon it the effects of prevailing meteorological conditions. Use of the "high tide" is discouraged. |
| high water mark | Line or mark left upon tidal flats, beach, or along shore objects indicating the elevation or the intrusion of high water. |
| highlands | Areas that stand higher than the surrounding areas |
| hill | A rounded, raised landform, not as high as a mountain |
| hinterland | The area tributary to a place and linked to that place through lines of exchange, or interaction. |
| horizon | A distinct layer of soil encountered in vertical section. |
| human features | Things people make or their way of life; buildings bridges, farms, roads, culture, AKA man-made features. |
| humus | Partially decomposed organic soil material. |
| hurricane | Term for large tropical storms that occur in the Caribbean Sea. |
| hydrographic survey | Survey of water-covered areas, underwater land features and shorelines. |
| hydrography | The study of the physical features of the surface waters of the Earth, including the measurement and description of the oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and their adjoining coastal areas, especially for navigation purposes. |
| hydrology | Study of the effects of precipitation and evaporation upon the occurrence and character of ground water. |
| hydroponics | The growing of plants, especially vegetables, in water containing essential mineral nutrients rather than in soil. |
| hypsometric map | Map showing relief by any convention, such as contours, hachures, shading, or tinting. |
| ice age | A time of widespread glaciation (see Pleistocene). |
| igneous rock | Rock formed when molten (melted) materials harden. |
| indigo | A plant that yields a blue vat dye. |
| insular | Either of an island, or suggestive of the isolated condition of an island. |
| intermediate directions | Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest (NE, NW, SE, or SW) AKA: ordinal directions |
| international date line | Located at 180° longitude (180° E and 180° W are the same meridian). Regions to the east of the International Date Line are counted as being one calendar day earlier than the regions to the west. |
| Intracoastal Waterway System | A waterway channel, maintained through dredging and sheltered for the most part by a series of linear offshore islands, that extends from New York City to Florida's southern tip and from Brownsville, Texas, to the eastern end of Florida's panhandle. |
| island | A piece of land, smaller than a continent (except Australia) that is surrounded by water (Examples: Malta, Madagascar, Sri Lanka) |
| isogonic line | Line joining points on the Earth's surface having equal magnetic declination as of a given date. |
| isthmus | A narrow strip of land with water on both sides and connecting two larger land masses (Isthmus of Panama) |
| karst | An area possessing surface topography resulting from the underground solution of subsurface limestone or dolomite. |
| keys (aka cays) | What are the small, low-lying coral or sand islands and commonly found in Florida or the West Indes called? |
| kudzu | A vine, native to China and Japan but imported into the United States; originally planted for decoration, for forage, or as a ground cover to control erosion. It now grows wild in many parts of the southeastern United States. |
| lagoon | Shallow area of sea water surrounded by an atoll or between a shoreline and barrier island(s) |
| lahar | A volcanic mudflow that results when lava mixes with rain or snow |
| lake | A body of water surrounded by land |
| land use classification system | Coding system of categories and subcategories designed for use on a map to designate land or water use. |
| land use map | Map showing by means of a coding system the various purposes for which parcels of land are being used by man. |
| landmark | Monument of material mark or fixed object used to designate a land boundary on the ground: any prominent object on land that may be used to determine a location or a direction in navigation or surveying. |
| latitude | Imaginary lines that cross the surface of the Earth parallel to the Equator, measuring how far north or south of the Equator a place is located. A measure of distance north or south of the equator. One degree of latitude equals approximately 110 kilometers (69 miles). |
| lava | Hot molten rock at the earth's surface |
| leaching | A process of soil nutrient removal through the erosive movement and chemical action of water. |
| lead line | Line weighted with lead for making depth soundings in water. |
| legend | A key that explains what the symbols or pictures in a map mean. |
| Lesser Antilles | The collective name if the island chain in the West Indian Ocean that stretches from Puerto Rico to Venezuela; it includes the Leeward, Virgin, and Windward Islands, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago: Lesser Antilles or Greater Antilles |
| levee | Artificial bank confining a stream channel or limiting adjacent areas subject to flooding; an embankment bordering a submarine canyon or channel, usually occurring along the outer edge of a curve. |
| leveling | Surveying operation in which heights of objects and points are determined relative to a specified datum. |
| lightning | Rapid electric discharge in the air during a thunderstorm, which causes thunder |
| line graph | A graph good for plotting changes over time |
| loess | A soil made up of small particles that were transported by the wind to their present location. |
| longitude | Imaginary lines that cross the surface of the Earth, running from north to south, measuring how far east or west a line (Prime Meridian) drawn between the North and South Poles and passing through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England. |
| low relief | Land rises or falls only slightly |
| low water | Minimum height reached by a falling tide. The height may be due solely to the periodic tidal forces or it may have superimposed upon it the effects of meteorological conditions. |
| lowlands | Areas that are lower than the surrounding areas |
| magma | Hot molten rock of the mantle |
| magnetic declination | The angular difference between magnetic north and true (geographic) north at the point of observation; it is not constant but varies with time because of the "wandering" of the magnetic north pole. |
| man-made features | Features constructed by man that are under, on, or above the ground which are delineated on a map. These include roads, trails, buildings, canals, sewer systems, and boundary lines. In a broad sense, the term also applies to all names, other identification, and legends on a map. |
| mantle | Layer of earth on which crust floats |
| map | Graphic representation of the physical features (natural, artificial, or both) of a part or the whole of the Earth's surface, by means of signs and symbols or photographic imagery, at an established scale, on a specified projection, and with the means of orientation indicated. |
| map key | Another name for a legend: unlocks information on a map |
| map projection | Orderly system of lines on a plane representing a corresponding system of imaginary lines on an adopted terrestrial or celestial datum surface. Also, the mathematical concept for such a system. For maps of the Earth, a projection consists of 1) a graticule of lines representing parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude. |
| map scale | Used to show how many inches on a map equal real units such as miles and kilometers |
| map series | Family of maps conforming generally to the same specifications and designed to cover an area or a country in systematic pattern. |
| maritime climate | A climate strongly influenced by an oceanic environment, found on islands and the windward shores of continents. It is characterized by small daily and yearly temperature ranges and high relative humidity. |
| mean high water line | Intersection of the land with the water surface at the elevation of high water, AKA: shoreline. |
| mean low water line | Intersection of the land with the water surface at the elevation of low water. |
| mean sea level | Tidal datum that is the arithmetic mean of the hourly water elevations observed over a specific 19-year cycle. Shorter series are specified in the name; that is, monthly mean sea level and yearly mean sea level. |
| mediterranean climate | A climate characterized by moist, mild winters and hot, dry summers. |
| Mercator map projection | Map projection that distorts the far North and South so much that Greenland appears close in size to South America (South America is actually eight times larger than Greenland) |
| meridian | Any line of longitude west or east of the prime meridian; they meet at the North and South poles. All points on a given meridian have the same longitude. |
| mesa | An isolated, relatively flat-topped natural elevation that rises steeply above the surrounding land, usually more extensive than a butte and less extensive than a plateau. |
| mesquite | A spiny deep-rooted leguminous tree or shrub that forms extensive thickets in the southwestern United States. |
| metamorphic rock | Rock that has been physically altered by heat and/or pressure. |
| metes and bounds | A system of land survey that defines land parcels according to visible natural landscape features and distance. The resultant field pattern is usually very irregular in shape. |
| metric system | Decimal system of weights and measures based on the meter as a unit length and the kilogram as a unit mass. |
| metropolitan coalescence | The merging of the urbanized areas of separate metropolitan regions; Megalopolis is an example of this process. |
| Middle America | Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean islands |
| mineral | A natural substance found in the earth: iron, gold, silver, etc |
| monument (surveying) | Permanent physical structure marking the location of a survey point. Common types of monuments are inscribed metal tablets set in concrete posts; and metal rods driven in the ground. |
| moraine | A ridge forrmed by rocks and soil carried and deposited by a glacier. An "end moraine," either a ridge or low hill running perpendicular to the direction of ice movement, forms at the end of a glacier when the ice is melting. |
| mosaic, aerial | Assembly of aerial photographs whose edges usually have been torn or cut selectively and matched to the imagery on adjoining photographs to form a continuous representation of a portion of the Earth's surface. |
| Mount Aconcagua | Located in the Andes of South America and is the tallest mountain in the Americas (22,834 feet) |
| mountain | A high rounded or pointed landform with steep sides; higher than a hill |
| movement | People in different parts of the country or world interact with one another; people,products, and ideas move by transportation and communication. |
| municipal waste | Unwanted by-products of modern life generated by people living in an urban area. |
| natural resources | Things found in nature that can be useful to man. |
| navigable waters | Water usable, with or without improvements, as routes for commerce in the customary means of travel on water. |
| navigation | The science of determining a ship's direction and location |
| neatline | Line separating the body of a map from the map margin. On a standard quadrangle map, the neatlines are the meridians and parallels delimiting the quadrangle. |
| New England | The northeastern United States. |
| nonrenewable resources | Resources that can never be renewed or replaced: coal, iron, oil, etc |
| ocean | The salt water surrounding the great land masses, and divided by the land masses into several distinct portions, each of which is called an ocean. |
| oceanic survey | Survey or examination of condition in the ocean or any part of it, with reference to animal or plant life, chemical elements present, temperature gradients, etc. See: hydrographic survey |
| offshore | Comparatively flat zone of variable width that extends from the outer margin of the rather steeply sloping shoreface to the edge of the continental shelf. |
| open range | A cattle- or sheep-ranching area characterized by a general absence of fences. |
| ordinal directions | Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast, AKA intermediate directions |
| orientation | Establishing correct relationship in direction with reference to points of the compass; the state of being in correct relationship in direction with reference to the points of the compass. |
| orographic rainfall | Precipitation that results when moist air is lifted over a topographic barrier such as a mountain range. |
| outwash | Rocky and sandy surface material deposited by meltwater that flowed from a glacier. |
| overlay | Printing or drawing on a transparent or translucent medium intended to be placed in register on a map or other graphic and which shows details not appearing or requiring special emphasis on the base material. |
| ozone layer (or ozonoshere) | Portion of earth's that can be damaged by excess CFC's (chloroflourocarbons) |
| palisades | A line of bold cliffs. |
| panhandle | A narrow projection of a larger territory (as a state). |
| parallel line | Any line of latitude, lines that are parallel never meet or cross |
| parallel of latitude | A circle, or approximation of a circle, on the surface of the Earth, parallel to the Equator, and connecting points of equal latitude; a circle of the celestial sphere parallel to the ecliptic, and connecting points of equal celestial latitude. |
| peninsula | This word is made up of roots which together mean "almost an island" |
| permafrost | Near-permanently frozen soil found in Arctic regions |
| photomap (photographic map) | Map made by adding marginal information, descriptive data, and a reference system to a photograph or assembly of photographs. |
| physicial features | Landforms, bodies of water, climate, soil, plant and animal life |
| piedmont | Lying or formed at the base of mountains; in the United States, an area in the southern states at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. |
| plain | Large area of flat or nearly flat land, low elevation |
| plantation | Large farms found in the south once run with slave labor |
| plat | Diagram drawn to scale showing all essential data pertaining to the boundaries and subdivisions of a tract of land, as determined by survey or protraction. |
| plate tectonics | Geologic theory that the bending (folding) and breaking (faulting) of the solid surface of the earth results from the slow movement of large sections (plates) of that surface. |
| plateau | A high, flat landform that rises steeply above the surrounding land, larger than a mesa |
| platted land | Land that has been divided into surveyed lots. |
| pleistocene | Period in geologic history (basically the last one million years) when ice sheets covered large sections of the Earth's land surface not now covered by glaciers. |
| plural society | A situation in which two or more culture groups occupy the same territory but maintain their separate cultural identities. |
| polar climate | Climate in the high latitudes located near the North Pole and South Poles, and they are the worlds coldest climates because the receive the fewest direct sunrays |
| political map | Shows man-made features like cities and boundaries |
| pollution | Damaging or dirtying the environment |
| population density | Average number of people per square mile |
| post-industrial | An economy that gains its basic character from economic activities developed primarily after manufacturing grew to predominance. Most notable would be quaternary economic patterns. |
| precambrian rock | The oldest rocks, generally more than 600 million years old. |
| precipitation | Any form of water, such as rain, hail, or snow, that falls to the earth |
| presidio | A military post (Spanish). |
| primary product | A product that is important as a raw material in developed economies; a product consumed in its primary (i.e., unprocessed) state (see Staple Product). |
| primary sector | That portion of a region's economy devoted to the extraction of basic materials (e.g., mining, lumbering, agriculture). |
| prime meridian | The line of longitude marked 0 degrees on the map, running through Greenwich, England |
| prime meridian | Meridian of longitude 0 degrees, used as the origin for measurements of longitude. The meridian of Greenwich, England, is the internationally accepted prime meridian on most charts. However, local or national prime meridians are occasionally used. |
| projection | Way of showing the round earth on a flat paper |
| public land system | Public lands are subdivided by a rectangular system of surveys established and regulated by the Bureau of Land Management. The standard format for subdivision is by townshipsmeasuring 6 miles (480 chains) on a side and further subdivided into 36 numbered sections of 1 square mile (640 acres) each. |
| pueblo | A type of Indian village constructed by some tribes in the southwestern United States. A large community dwelling, divided into many rooms, up to five stories high, and usually made of adobe. Also, a Spanish word for town or village. |
| rail gauge | The distance between the two rails of a railroad. |
| rainforest | A place with rain almost all year round, whee trees and plants grow close together |
| rainshadow | An area of diminished precipitation on the lee (downwind) side of a mountain or mountain range. |
| reef (or atoll) | A ridge of coral, often exposed at low tide but flooded at high tide |
| region | An area with common features that set it apart from other areas |
| relative location | location described by what is near or around it |
| relief | Difference between the highest and lowest points of land or ocean floor in an area; how flat or rugged the surface is |
| relief shading | Technique for making hypsography on a map appear three dimensional by the use of graded shadow effects. Generally, the features are shaded as though illuminated from the northwest. |
| renewable resources | Resources that can replace or rebuild themselves: animals, plants, soil, water, etc |
| representative democracy | The people elect others to run the government for them |
| resource | Anything that is both naturally occurring and of use to humans. |
| rift | Separation of the earth's crust |
| ring of fire | An area of frequent volcanic and earthquake activity that surrounds the Pacific Ocean |
| riparian rights | The rights of water use possessed by a person owning land containing or bordering a water course or lake. |
| river | A stream of water that flows across the land and empties into another body of water |
| riverine | Located on or inhabiting the banks or the area near a river or lake. |
| rugged coastline | Jagged and/or uneven land along an ocean |
| saga | Long stories about the great deeds of the Vikings |
| San Andreas | Major system of faults in California |
| savanna | A tropical grassland with widely spaced trees, common in parts of Africa |
| scale | Relationship existing between a distance on a map, chart, or photograph and the actual distance on the Earth. |
| scale bar | Measuring line on a map |
| scarp | Also "escarpment." A steep cliff or steep slope, formed either as a result of faulting or by the erosion of inclined rock strata. |
| Scots-Irish | The North American descendants of Protestants from Scotland who migrated to northern Ireland in the 1600s. |
| sea | A body of salt water smaller than an ocean |
| sea level (mean sea level) | The ocean surface; commonly serves as the baseline for measuring elevations of Earth's landforms |
| section | Unit of subdivision of a township; normally a quadrangle 1 mile square with boundaries conforming to meridians and parallels within established limits, and containing 640 acres as nearly as practicable. |
| sedimentary rock | Rock formed by the hardening of material deposited in some process; most commonly sandstone, shale, and limestone. |
| sharecropping | A form of agricultural tenancy in which the tenant pays for use of the land with a predetermined share of his crop rather than with a cash rent. |
| shield | A broad area of very old rocks above sea level. Usually characterized by thin, poor soils and low population densities. |
| shoreline | Intersection of the land with the water surface. |
| silage | Fodder (livestock feed) prepared by storing and fermenting green forage plants in a silo. |
| silo | Usually a tall, cylindrical structure in which fodder (animal feed) is stored; may be a pit dug for the same purpose. |
| sinkhole | Crater formed when the roof of a cavern collapses; usually found in areas of limestone rock. |
| site | Features of a place related to the immediate environment on which the place is located (e.g., terrain, soil, subsurface, geology, ground water). |
| situation | Features of a place related to its location relative to other places (e.g., accessibility, hinterland quality). |
| smog | Mixture of particulate matter and chemical pollutants in the lower atmosphere, usually over urban areas. |
| Social Studies | The study of history, government and human interaction |
| solstice | Date when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer (June 21, summer begins) or Tropic of Capricorn December 21, winter begins)(Northern Hemisphere) |
| soluble | Capable of being dissolved; in this case, the characteristic of soil minerals that leads them to be carried away in solution by water (see Leaching). |
| source | The starting point of a river |
| spot elevation | Point on a map or chart whose height above a specified datum is noted, usually by a dot or a small sawbuck and elevation value. Elevations are shown, on a selective basis, for road forks and intersections, grade crossings summit of hills, mountain |
| stadia | Technique of distance measurement wherein the observer reads the intercept subtended on a graduated rod between two marks on the reticle of the telescope. |
| strait | A narrow waterway between two larger bodies of water (Examples: Bosporus, Bering, or Dardanelle Straits) |
| subsidence | Decrease in the elevation of land surface due to tectonic, seismic, or artificial forces, without removal of surface material. |
| survey | Orderly process of determining data relating to any physical or chemical characteristics of the Earth. The associated data obtained in a survey. An organization engaged in making a survey. |
| sustainable yield | The amount of a naturally self-reproducing community, such as trees or fish, that can be harvested without diminishing the ability of the community to sustain itself. |
| symbols | Used on map to represent something on the Earth |
| table | Useful in organizing statistics in an easy-to-read way |
| taiga | A moist subarctic coniferous forest that begins where the tundra ends and is dominated by spruces and firs. |
| Taj Mahal | One of the seven wonders of the world, located in India. |
| tectonic plates | Sections of the crust that move independently |
| temperate climate | Climate that fall between the low and high latitudes; they are generally cool in the winter and warm in the summer |
| temperature inversion | An increase in temperature with height above the Earth's surface, a reversal of the normal pattern. |
| territory | A specific area or portion of the Earth's surface; not to be confused with region. |
| tertiary sector | That portion of a region's economy devoted to service activities (e.g., transportation, retail and wholesale operations, insurance). |
| the "island" continent located south of the equator | Australia |
| The Antilles | The islands commonly know as the West Indes also go by which of the following names: the Azores, the Moloucas, or the Antilles? |
| The Caribbean Sea | What is the name of the portion of the Atlantic Ocean that lies between the east coast of Central America, the north coast of South America, and the islands of the West Indes? |
| the largest continent | Asia |
| the southern-most continent | Antarctica |
| thematic map | Map designed to provide information on a single topic, such as geology, rainfall, population. |
| theory | An unproven idea |
| three main factors which affect climate | 1) latitude, how far north or south of the equator a place is located, 2) elevation, and 3) ocean currents |
| three main parts that make up climate: | 1) temperature, 2) precipitation, 3) wind, and air pressure |
| threshold | The minimum-sized market for an economic activity. The activity will not be successful until it can reach a population larger than this threshold size. |
| thunder | Created when lightning suddenly heats air causing it to expand rapidly |
| tide | Periodic rise and fall of the water resulting from gravitational interactions between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. The vertical component of the particulate motion of a tidal wave. Although the accompanying horizontal movement of the water is part of the same phenomenon, it is preferable to designate this motion as tidal current. |
| time-distance | A time measure of how far apart places are (how long does it take to travel from place A to place B?). This may be contrasted with other distance metrics such as geographic distance (how far is it?) and cost-distance (how much will it cost to get there?). |
| topographic map | Map that present the horizontal and vertical positions of the features represented; distinguished from a planimetric map by the addition of relief in measurable form. |
| topography | The physical features of a place; or the study and depiction of physical features, including terrain relief. |
| township and range | The rectangular system of land subdivision of much of the agriculturally settled United States west of the Appalachian Mountains; established by the Land Ordinance of 1785; normally a quadrangle approximately 6 miles on a side with boundaries conforming to meridians and parallels within established limits, containing 36 sections. . |
| transhumance | The seasonal movement of people and animals in search of pasture. Commonly, winters are spent in snow-free lowlands and summers in the cooler uplands. |
| Treasure Island | Robert Louis Stevenson's fictional island that was the title of his famouse pirate epic |
| tree line | Either the latitudinal or elevational limit of normal tree growth. Beyond this limit, closer to the poles or at higher or lower elevations, climatic conditions are too severe for such growth. |
| triangulation | Method of extending horizontal position on the surface of the Earth by measuring the angles of triangles and the included sides of selected triangles. |
| tributary (branch or contributory) | A river or stream that flow into a larger body of water |
| tropical climate | Climate in the low latitudes extending from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn. These climates receive the suns direct rays; therefore, temperatures are very warm and do not change much year around |
| tropics | Technically, the area between the Tropic of Cancer (21-1/2 N latitude) and the Tropic of Capricorn (21-1/2 S latitude), characterized by the absence of a cold season. Often used to describe any area possessing what is considered to be a hot, humid climate. |
| tsunami | Large wave caused by earthquakes |
| tundra | A cold, treeless plain capable of supporting only low-growing plants characteristic of the arctic and subarctic regions. |
| underemployment | A condition among a labor force such that a portion of the labor force could be eliminated without reducing the total output. Some individuals are working less than they are able or want to, or they are engaged in tasks that are not entirely productive. |
| underpopulation | Economically, a situation in which an increase in the size of the labor force will result in an increase in per worker productivity. |
| Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid | Military grid system based on the transverse Mercator projection, applied to maps of the Earth's surface extending from the Equator to 84 Degrees north and 80 degrees south latitudes |
| upland | Highland; ground elevation above the lowlands along rivers or between hills. |
| valley | an area of low land between hills or mountains |
| vegetation | Plant life |
| volcano | Tectonic forces cause the mantle to explode outward |
| warm ocean temperature | Coral reefs require this environmental condition, concerning water, in order to grow and survive |
| water | Natural resource found trapped between rock layers in an aquifer |
| water | Agent of erosion primarily responsible for creating limestone caves |
| water table | The level below the land surface at which the subsurface material is fully saturated with water. The depth of the water table reflects the minimum level to which wells must be drilled for water extraction. |
| winter | Season that begins in the Northern hemisphere when the noonday sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn |
| zoning | The public regulation of land and building use to control the character of a place. |
