Reading Maps Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards for reading maps

Longitude

A distance east or west on the earth's surface.

Sound

An arm of the sea.

Latitude

A distance north or south of the equator.

Oxbow

A U-shaped bend in a river.

Glacier

A large mass of ice.

Estuary

A broad mouth of a river flowing into the sea.

Fiord (Fjord)

A long, narrow bay of the sea between high banks or cliffs.

Lava

The molten rock flowing from a volcano.

Alfresco

In the open air.

Promontory

A high point of land jutting into a body of water; headland.

Inlet

A narrow strip of water extending from a larger body of water into the land or between islands.

Range

A row or line of mountains.

Summit

The highest point; top; peak.

Region

Area.

Converge

Come together.

Circumnavigated

Gone completely around.

Tributary

A smaller river that joins a larger one.

Peninsula

A piece of land almost surrounded by water.

Junction

A place where two or more (roads, railways) cross.

Ford

A place where a river or stream is shallow enough to be crossed by walking or driving through the water.

Plateau

A large, level area of land in the mountains or rising from the sea or a lowland area.

Strait

A narrow channel connecting two larger bodies of water.

Meander

Follow a wandering course.

Cape

A point of land extending into the water.

Artificial

Man-made.

Mesa

An isolated, flat-topped hill or upland with steep sides.

Gulf

A large bay; an arm of the ocean or sea extending into the land.

Source

Where something comes from.

Cardinal Point

North south, east or west.

Isthmus

A narrow strip of land having water on either side, connecting two large bodies of land.

Delta

A deposit of earth and sand, usually three-sided, that collects at the mouths of some rivers.

Quarry

A place where stone is dug, cut, or blasted out

Archipelago

A group of many islands.

Bay

A part of a sea or lake extending into the land, larger than a cove, smaller than a gulf.

Chain

A series of things joined or linked together.

Headland

A point of land jutting out into water; cape.

Saddle

A ridge between two mountain peaks; mountain pass.