Essential Geography Terms

Front

Political Map

Back

A map that shows countries, states, and cities. It’s like a map of where people live and the borders between places.

Front

Physical Map

Back

A map that shows mountains, rivers, lakes, and land features. It’s like looking at nature on a map.

Front

Topographic Map

Back

A special map that shows how high or low the land is, like hills, valleys, and mountains.

Front

Contour Lines

Back

Wiggly lines on a topographic map that show the shape and height of the land.

Front

Map Key/Legend

Back

A little box on the map that explains what the symbols, colors, and lines mean.

Front

Prime Meridian

Back

An imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole, splitting the Earth into the eastern and western halves.

Front

Map Scale

Back

A tool on the map that shows how much the map has been shrunk down, so you know how far places are in real life.

Front

Equator

Back

An imaginary line around the middle of the Earth that splits it into the northern and southern halves.

Front

Elevation

Back

How high a place is above sea level (the level of the ocean). For example, a mountain has a high elevation, and the beach has a low elevation.

Front

Compass Rose

Back

A symbol on the map that shows directions (north, south, east, and west).