Map Skills Vocabulary Cards

1. Map (Noun)
◻ A drawing of an area of land and/or sea
that shows physical features like cities and
rivers.
◻ “A map of the world shows the seven
continents!”

2. Atlas (Noun)
◻ A book of many different kinds of maps.
◻ “Let’s use the atlas to find a map of Africa.”

3. Globe (Noun)
◻ A three-dimensional model of the Earth.
◻ “Use the globe to find your next destination!”

4. Compass Rose (Noun)
◻ A circular drawing on a map or atlas
showing the principal directions (North,
South, East, and West).
◻ “Let’s draw a compass rose at the top of
my map!”

5. Legend (Noun)
◻ A table of definitions of the symbols
used in the map.
◻ “Does your map have a legend?”

6. Label (Noun)
◻ A word used to describe or identify
something on a map.
◻ “Did you put labels on your map?”

7. Title (Noun)
◻ A few words that describe the contents
of the map.
◻ “Your map has a descriptive title!”

8. Symbol (Noun)
◻ A character that has a certain meaning
on a map.
◻ “The symbol for a direction is an arrow.”

9. Continent (Noun)
◻One of seven main land areas on Earth
(Africa, Antarctica, Asia,
Australia/Oceania, Europe, North
America, South America)
◻ “Which continent is your country in?”

10. Country (Noun)
◻ A place in the world with its own
government.
◻ “Which country do you live in?”

11. Category (Noun)
◻ A division of people or objects that share
the same characteristics.
◻ “Africa, Asia, Antarctica, and Australia are in
the same category because they are
continents that begin with the letter A.”

12. Distinguish (Verb)
◻ To see a characteristic between two people
or things.
◻ “What do you distinguish as our similarities?”

13. Pattern (Noun/Verb)
◻ Noun: An design or idea that is repeated.
◻ Verb: To give something or someone a form.
◻ Noun: “Do you see a pattern here?”
◻ Verb: “You can pattern your work after mine.”

14. Arrow (Noun)
◻ A symbol usually used to show a
direction.
◻ “Where is that arrow pointing?”

15. Cartography (Noun)
◻ The practice of drawing maps.
◻ “Do you enjoy cartography?”

16. Space (Noun/Verb)
◻ Noun: An area that is free from anything.
◻ Verb: To place something or someone
between something or someone else.
◻ “Is there a lot of space there?”
◻ “Did you place your letters properly?”

17. Spatial (Adjective)
◻ An object or idea related to space.
◻ “This room has random spatial
dimensions.”

18. Overlap (Verb/Noun)
◻ Verb: To extend over something or someone
and partially cover them.
◻ Noun: The part of something or someone
that covers something or someone else.
◻ “Your notebook overlaps mine.”
◻ “The eraser is the overlap of that pile on my
desk.”

19. Direction (Noun)
◻ The way that someone or something is
moving.
◻ “Which direction is the arrow pointing?”

20. Scale (Noun)
◻ The distance between places as represented
by a measurement on the map.
◻ “The scale of a map is usually found near the
bottom or top.”

21. Ratio (Noun)
◻ The measurement on a map compared to the
actual distance between two places.
◻ “What is the ratio used on this map?”

22. Distance (Noun)
◻ The amount of space between two things on
a map.
◻ “There is a long distance between Spain and
the Philippines.”

23. Ground (Noun)
◻ The solid surface of the Earth.
◻ “We are standing on the ground.”

24. Magnify (Verb)
◻ To make something or something appear
larger using a lens or microscope.
◻ “To see your country on the map, we need to
magnify it first!”

25. Magnification (Noun)
◻ The level of power with which you can make
something or someone appear larger.
◻ “I can see your country with 100x
magnification!”

26. Locate (Verb)
◻ To find the exact place of something or
someone.
◻ “Locate your country on this map.”

27. Detailed (Adjective)
◻ Something made with many facts,
information, or features.
◻ “Your map of the Philippines is really
detailed!”

28. Cluttered (Adjective)
◻ When something is messy.
◻ “Your drawing of South America is cluttered,
please do it again.”

29. Uncluttered (Adjective)
◻ When something is neat and cleanly made.
◻ “Your map of Europe is impressively
uncluttered!”

30. Indicate (Verb)
◻ To point out or show something or someone
to someone or on something else.
◻ “Please indicate where Uruguay is located on
the map.”

31. Relief (Noun)
◻ The difference between the elevations of the
highest and lowest points on a map.
◻ “If the mountain is 10,000 feet and the valley is
3,000 feet, then what is the relief?”

32. Relief Map (Noun)
◻ A map with contour lines that shows the
differences in elevation between points on a
map.
◻ “The relief map of North America shows many
mountains.”

33. Specific (Adjective)
◻ To be clearly identified or indicated.
◻ “Use a specific title for your map.”

34. Coordinate (Noun)
◻ A set of numbers (the longitude and
latitude) that shows the specific position of a
place on map.
◻ “Do you know the coordinates of your
hometown?”

35. Topography (Noun)
◻ The arrangement of natural and physical
features of an area on a map.
◻ “The United States of America has a varied
topography.”

36. Topographical (Adjective)
◻ To be related to the arrangement of physical
and artificial features on a map.
◻ “Let’s make a topographical map of Japan
today.”

37. Political (Adjective)
◻ To be related to the government of a country.
◻ “Does your map use political borders?”

38. Landform (Noun)
◻ A physical feature of an area defined by its
size, form, and location.
◻ “Asia is a continent, a type of landform.”

39. Man-made (Adjective)
◻ To be created by humans.
◻ “Dams are man-made structures to hold water
for use by cities.”

40. Peninsula (Landform)
◻ A piece of land that is almost surrounded by
water.
◻ A Croatian peninsula.

41. Mountain range
(Landform)
◻ A series of mountains connected together.
◻ A mountain range in the Himalayas.

42. Volcano (Landform)
◻ A mountain that has an opening where lava,
rocks, and gas erupt.
◻ The Karymsky Volcano in Russia.

43. River (Landform)
◻ A long and wide stream of water that flows
into a sea, ocean, or lake.
◻ The Amazon River.

44. Plateau (Landform)
◻ A flat piece of ground located at a high
elevation.
◻ The Narrow Neck Plateau in Australia.

45. Valley (Landform)
◻ A low area of land usually in between hills or
mountains.
◻ A valley in Tibet.

46. Desert (Geographic Area)
◻ A dry area of land covered in sand and is
without many plants.
◻ The Namib Desert.

47. Rainforest (Geographic Area)
◻ A type of forest found in tropical areas with a
lot of rainfall.
◻ The Amazon Rainforest.

48. Tundra (Geographic Area)
◻ A flat area of land with no trees and where
the soil is frozen.
◻ The Arctic tundra.

49. Grassland (Geographic Area)
◻ A large, open area of land covered in many
different kinds of grass.
◻ An African grassland.