Cartography Vocabulary

A map delineating the form of the bottom of a body of water, or a portion thereof, by the use of depth contours (isobaths).

A person who creates maps.

An ornamental frame on a map, usually around the title.

A special-purpose map designed for navigation or to present specific data or information. Applied chiefly to maps made primarily for nautical and aeronautical navigation, and to maps of the heavens, although the term is sometimes used to describe other special-purpose maps.

A line on a map that connects points of equal height.

A pair or more numbers that specify a location with respect to a reference system, used to quantify positions on the area illustrated on a map.

Any network of parallel and perpendicular lines on a map used for reference.

A map showing by means of a coding system the various purposes for which parcels of land are being used by man.

The angular distance in degrees north or south from the equator.

A written explanation of the symbols used on a map, showing the range of features included.

The angular distance in degrees east or west from a defined meridian, usually the Greenwich prime meridian.

A graphic representation of the spatial relationships of features and points within an area.

A circle of the earth that passes north-south through the poles.

A circle, or approximation of a circle, on the surface of the Earth, parallel to the equator.

A map that shows an area small enough to not include the curvature of the Earth, e.g., a map of a town.

A diagram drawn to scale showing all essential data pertaining to the boundaries and subdivisions of a tract of land, as determined by survey or protraction.

A method by which the curved surface of the earth is portrayed on a flat surface using a mathematical transformation.

Elevations and depressions on the earth's surface, including the sea floor.

The relationship between a distance or area on a map and the corresponding distance or area on the ground, expressed as a ratio or fraction.

A map that primarily displays public ways and transport links instead of natural geographical information.

To examine and record the area and features of (an area of land), measuring physical or geometric characteristics.

The study and mapping of land surfaces, including relative position and height.