Tools of Geography
Cardinal directions
North, South, East and West
intermediate directions
Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest
title
Tells what that subject of the map will be.
hemisphere
half of the earth (there are 4)
continent
one of the seven large landmasses on the earth
absolute location
Exact location of a place on the earth described by global coordinates
map grid
Horizontal and vertical lines used to locate places on a map.
latitude
Horizontal lines that measure distance from the Equator. The lines are parallel and never cross.
compass rose
A tool on a map showing cardinal (N,E,S,W) and intermediate (NE,SE,NW,SW) directions.
map key/legend
A written table on a map, with drawings and words that represent symbols on the map. It makes it easier to read the map.
Equator
The equator is an imaginary line around the middle of Earth. It is halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole, located at 0 degrees LATITUDE. ALL other lines of latitude are measured from this line.
relative location
The position of a place in relation to another place
Prime Meridian
The prime meridian is the line of 0 LONGITUDE, the starting point for measuring distance both east and west around the earth. This line of longitude separates the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
map scale
This allows you to measure distances on a map.
longitude
Vertical lines that measure distance east and west of the Prime Meridian. Another name for these lines is meridians
inset map
a smaller map set within the border of a larger one