Overview of Physical Features and Map and Globe Skills

Death Valley The lowest, driest, and hottest valley in the United States.

Atlantic Coastal Plain The flat stretch of land that borders the Atlantic Ocean in the eastern United States.

Continental Divide The north-south line that divides the flow of water (watersheds) between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.

Great Basin The largest U.S. desert that has no natural outlet to a sea or ocean. Water within it evaporates since outward flow is blocked.

Gulf of Mexico The oval shaped body of water located to the west of Florida.

Great Plains A vast grassland region of central North America east of the Rocky Mountains and extending into Canada. Much of the area is used for cattle and wheat ranching.

St. Lawrence River The large waterway connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

Rocky Mountains A major mountain system of western North America extending from northwest Alaska to the state of New Mexico. Also forms the Continental Divide.

Appalachian Mountains A mountain system of eastern North America extending from Newfoundland to central Alabama.

Rio Grande a North American river that boundaries the United States and Mexico and flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

Great Lakes The large freshwater bodies of water on the Canada – United States border. Huron Ontario Michigan Erie Superior

Mississippi River The chief river of the United States, extending from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.

Colorado River The Colorado River is the primary river of the American Southwest, extending from Wyoming through Nevada and California.

Ohio River a river that is formed in western Pennsylvania and flows westward to become a tributary (a minor river or stream which flows into a bigger one) of the Mississippi River

Hudson River river that flows from north to south through eastern New York.

Globe A model of the earth.

Atlas A book of maps and other information about people, places and events.

Physical Map A map that illustrates features of an area such as rivers, lakes, or mountains.

Political Map A map that indicates how boundaries, capital and major cities are divided.

Hemispheres Half of the globe divided into northern and southern hemispheres by the equator or into eastern and western hemispheres by the prime meridian.

Lines of Latitude Lines that run east to west (horizontally) on a map or globe that help indicate position.

Equator The line that divides the earth into two halves and runs east to west at zero degrees latitude.

Lines of Longitude Lines that run north to south (vertically) on a map or globe that help indicate position.

Prime Meridian The line that divides the earth into two halves and runs from the North Pole to the South Pole at zero degrees longitude.

Grid Map A map that has squares marked by letters and numbers along the top, bottom and sides that cross each other to help you locate places easily

Coordinates The latitude and longitude address of a place.

Cardinal Directions North (never) East (eat) South (soggy) West (waffles)

Intermediate Directions Northeast Southeast Northwest Southwest

Map Scale The miniature ruler on a map that shows relative distance.

Map Legend Explains what symbols on a map represent.