Social Studies Geography Vocabulary Words

latitude also called parallels; they show location north and south of the Equator

longitude also called Meridians; they show a location east or west of the Prime Meridian

Prime Meridian divides the earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres

Equator divides the earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

hemisphere one half of Earth (east/west and north/south)

continent one of Earth’s seven large land areas                  continent one of Earth’s seven large land areas http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ss5/b/comcontocintrol.cfm

grid a system of lines, letters, and numbers that help you locate places on a map

key also called a legend, shows the symbols on a map and tells what each symbol means

road map a map that is useful for finding the correct route, when traveling by car

physical map a map that gives information about land and water

political map a map gives information about boundaries, nations, and cities

boundary a border or outside edge of a place

region an area with at least one feature that makes it different from other areas

compass rose the symbol on a map that shows direction

scale the part of a map compares a distance on the map to a distance in the real world

title tells the subject of a map

mileage a chart that shows the distance between major cities on a road map

fifty (50) the number of states in the United States

Washington D.C. the national capital of the United States

Austin the state capital of Texas