Map Skills

Physical Maps Show physical features (mountains, rivers, oceans, etc.) of an area

Political maps Shows political units or boundaries (countries, states, counties, districts, towns)

Historical Maps Shows illustrations for things like economic activity, migrations, battles and changing national boundaries

Other Maps Topographic Climate

Compass Rose A compass rose shows which way the directions north (N), south (S), east (E), and west (W) point on a map Never Eat Soggy Waffles

Another name for the major directions? What is another name for the major directions? Turn to your neighbors and share.

Cardinal Directions – North, South, East and West

Intermediate directions Now that we have discussed cardinal directions, what do you think the intermediate directions are?

Intermediate directions Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, and Southeast

Scale Shows the ratio between a unit of length on the map and a unit of distance on the earth. EX: 1 inch on a map = 1 mile in real life

Legend or key Lists and explains the symbols, lines, and colors on a map

Longitude lines Imaginary lines that run North to South. Also known as Meridians Shows distance in degrees East or West of the Prime Meridian

Prime meridian A longitude line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole. Passes through Greenwich, England, and measures at 0° longitude

Latitude lines Imaginary lines that run east to west. Also known as parallels Shows distance in degrees north or south of the equator. Latitude = Flatitude Lat sounds like ladder…steps of a ladder

Equator A latitude line that circles the earth halfway between the North and South Poles. It measures at 0° latitude

Cancer and Capricorn Parallels that form the boundaries of the Tropics, a region that stays warm all year long.

Purpose of latitude and longitude? They help you pinpoint the absolute location of cities and other geographic features by using coordinates of intersecting lines.

hemisphere Term for half the globe The earth can be split into Southern and Northern hemispheres separated by the equator or into Eastern and Western .

Mercator vs Robinson Mercator Shows most of the continents as they look on a globe, yet it stretches out the land near the poles Used for all kinds of navigation

Mercator vs robinson Robinson Shows the earth with nearly true sizes and shapes of the continents and oceans, but the shapes near the poles are rounded Used in most textbooks

Notebook Label your Table of Contents – Page 8 - Map Skills Tape into your SS Notebook onto page 8