Social studies vocabulary Four Regions of Texas

Longitude – a measure of distance on Earth east or west of the Prime meridian

Latitude – a measure of distance on earth north or south of the equator

Map scale – the relationship between the distance shown on a map and the real distance on earth

Compass rose – a small drawing on a map that shows direction

Global grid (grid system) – the crisscrossing lines of latitude and longitutde found on a map or globe

Continent – one of earth’s 7 great bodies of land: Africa, anarctica, asia, austrailia, Europe, north America, and south america

Prime meridian – an imaginary line that lies between the eastern and western hemispheres

Cardinal directions – north, south, east, west

Intermediate directions – northeast (ne), southeast (se), southwest (sw), northwest (nw)

Inset map – shows a larger view of a smaller area shown on the main map

Hemisphere – half a sphere; one of the 4 hemispheres of earth: northern, southern, eastern, and western

Symbol – anything that stands for something else

Map key (legend) – an explanation of what the symbols on a map represent

Equator – an imaginary line that lies halfway between the north pole and the south pole, at 0 degrees latitude

Cartographer – a person who creates maps