Geography Terms & Map Types

The 7 large land masses on Earth.

• continents
• countries
• cornucopia
• cacophonies

An imaginary line that divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

• prime meridian
• equator
• compass rose
• hemisphere

The main directions (north, south, east, west) on a compass rose.

• intermediate directions
• cardinal directions
• immediate directions
• locator directions

Something on a map that stands for something else.

• legend
• key
• symbol
• drawing

This shows the relationship between distances on a map and the actual distance.

• key
• compass rose
• scale
• locator

A small map set onto the main map.  It shows where the area of the main map is located.

• hemisphere
• locator
• model map
• mini map

Earth's largest bodies of water.

• lakes
• seas
• reservoirs
• oceans

Half of the globe.  The Earth can be divided into 4 of these.  The first part of the word means "half".

• hedosphere
• prime meridian
• hemisphere
• equator

A small drawing on a map that is used to help you find directions.

• legend
• scale
• locator
• compass rose

The gives the meaning of each symbol on a map.

• compass rose
• locator
• key 
• dictionary