Human Geography Vocab

Flash cards for vocab quiz

Geography

The study of the Earth’s physical features, atmosphere, and human activity.

Cartography

The science or practice of drawing maps.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A constellation of satellites providing accurate position, navigation, and timing data globally.

Geographic Information System (GIS)

A computer-based system that captures, stores, analyzes, and displays geographical data.

Map Bias

Distortion of geographical information.

Reference Map

A map that focuses on location and draws out natural as well as man made features.

Thematic Map

A map that focuses on spatial relationships or a specific topic versus what the land may look like.

Key

Provides a description for illustrations on a map.

Political Map

Shows boundaries between jurisdictions.

Physical Map

Shows features and elevation of certain regions.

Road Map

A map that shows pathways from one place to another.

Topographic Map

A map that focuses on the location of elevation levels from mountains, hills, man made objects, etc.

Geologic Map

A map that lays out what kind of rock surface is in a given area.

Absolute Location

The exact location of a point on the Earth’s surface, often expressed using a set of coordinates.

Relative Location

A description of a place’s position in relation to other places, landmarks, or features using directions rather than fixed coordinates.

Longitude

A geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth.

Latitude

A geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the surface of the Earth.

Equator

An imaginary line drawn around the Earth, dividing the Earth into northern and southern hemispheres.

Prime Meridian

An imaginary line drawn around the Earth, dividing the Earth into eastern and western hemispheres.

Coordinates

A set of numbers that specify a unique location on the Earth’s surface.