Hemisphere Half of a sphere.

Prime Meridian The line through Greenwich, England, from which longitude east and west run. 0 degrees longitude.

Equator The great circle of the earth that is equidistant from the North Pole and the South Pole. 0 degrees latitude

Parallels Imaginary lines extending around the Earth parallel to the equator; used to indicated latitude.

Meridian An imaginary line forming a great circle that passes through the Earth's North and South geographic poles.

Latitude The distance north or south from the equator of a point on the Earth’s surface, measured on the parallel of the point.

Longitude The distance east or west on the Earth’s surface, measured by the angle contained between the meridian of a particular place and the prime meridian, at Greenwich, England, and expressed in degrees.

Key Table of symbols used on a map or chart; also called the Legend.

Compass Rose A circle divided into 32 points or 360° numbered clockwise from true or magnetic north, printed on the map that indicate direction.

Map Scale A ratio which compares a measurement on a map to the actual distance between locations identified on the map.

Inset A small picture or map inserted within the border of a larger one.

Physical Map A map that shows landforms like deserts, mountains, and plains.

Political Map Shows governmental boundaries of countries, states, and counties. Can also indicate the location of major cities, and usually include significant bodies of water.

Globe A sphere on which is depicted a map of the earth

Absolute Location Exact point where latitude and longitude intersect.

Intermediate Directions The directions on the compass that are halfway between the cardinal points called northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest.

Cardinal Directions North, South, East, and West.