Communities Social Studies Vocabulary

Communities

Social Studies Vocabulary

Community

A place where people live, work, and have fun together.

Location

A place where something is.

People settle in communities based on location, or where something needed can be found.

Natural resource

A natural resource is something found in nature that is useful to people.

People might choose to settle in a community where there are water resources, such as lakes and rivers.

Region

A region is an area with common features that set it apart from other places.

Mineral

A mineral is a resource that does not come from an animal or plant.

Diverse

Different

Many communities have diverse, or different cultures.

Culture

Culture is the way of life of a group of people.

Some communities hold festivals, parades, and fairs to honor these cultures.

Cardinal directions

north (N), south (S),

east (E), west (W)

Intermediate directions

northeast (NE), southest (SE),

northwest (NW), southwest (SW)

Symbol

On a map, a small picture or shape that stands for a specific location, settlement, or building.

Relative location

A description of where a place is in relation to other places.

You can say that Washington, D.C., is in the eastern part of the United States, alont the Potomac River near Baltimore, Maryland,

Absolute location

Where exactly a place is located on Earth.

To describe the absolute location, you tell exactly where a place is located on Earth. Lines of latitude and longitude are imaginary lines that can help you find the absolute location.

Hemisphere

A part into which Earth is divided by lines of latitude and longitude.

The equator is a line of latitude that divides Earth into two parts, or hemispheres.

Rural

Describes a community in the countryside where there is plenty of open space.

Urban

Describes a community in a large city.

Suburban

Describe a community near a large city.