Geography Vocabulary Terms Review

What is Geography? The study of the world, its people, and the landscapes they create. What are some things people study when they learn about geography? What is a person called who studies geography?

Vocabulary Globe – a scale model of the Earth. Useful for showing the entire Earth or studying large areas of Earth’s surface Grid – a pattern of imaginary lines that circles the globe in east-west and north-south directions Latitude – east-west lines in the grid. Often called parallels. Longitude – north-south lines in the grid. Often called meridians.

Vocabulary, cont. Degrees – the measurement used for latitude and longitude Equator – an imaginary line that circles the globe halfway between the North and South Poles Prime Meridian – an imaginary line that runs through Greenwich, England – divides the Eastern and Western hemispheres Hemispheres – 2 halves (North & South or East & West)

Vocabulary, cont. Continents – seven large landmasses Islands – landmasses smaller than continents and completely surrounded by water Map – flat diagram of all or part of Earth’s surface Title – shows what the subject of the map is Compass rose – a directional indicator. Has arrows that point to all four principal directions

Vocabulary, cont. Scale – used on a map to represent the distances between points Legend/key – explains what the symbols on the map represent Locator map – shows where in the world the area on the map is located

5 Themes of Geography Terms Location – describes where something is Place – describes the features that make a site unique Regions – areas that share common characteristics Movement – looks at how and why people and things move. Often called migration. Human-Environment Interaction – people interact with their environment in many ways