Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60projection*: a mathematical formula by which the lines of a global grid and the shapes of land and water bodies are transferred from a globe to a surface R region: an area with one or more common physical or cultural characteristics or features that give it a measure of homogeneity and make it different from surrounding areas remote sensing: information gathering about the Earth’s surface from a distance (usually referring to the use of aerial photography or satellite images) renewable resource: a resource that can be regenerated if used carefully (e.g., fish, lumber) resource: an aspect of the physical environment that people value and use to meet a need for fuel, food, industrial product, or something else of value rural: relating to or characteristic of the countryside rather than cities S satellite image: an image produced by a variety of sensors (e.g., radar, microwave detectors, scanners) that measure and record electromagnetic radiation. The collected data are turned into digital form for transmission to ground receiving stations. The data can be reconverted into imagery in a form resembling a photograph. sedimentary rock*: rock that has formed from the solidification of sediment that has been transported and deposited by water, wind, or gravity scale: on maps, the relationship or ratio between a linear measurement on a map and the corresponding distance on the Earth’s surface. Scale also refers to the size of places or regions being studied. settlement pattern: the spatial distribution and arrangement of human habitations, including rural and urban centers T tectonic process: a physical process within the Earth (e.g., volcanic activity, folding, faulting) that creates physical features, such as mountains, on the surface thematic map: a map representing a specific spatial distribution, theme, or topic (e.g., population density, cattle production, climates of the world). In addition to the four types of thematic maps shown on page 4 of this Atlas, other common types include dot maps and dasymetric maps. topography: the examination of the arrangement of the physical and human features of an area at any scale tornado: a small but intense funnel-shaped low-pressure cell with very low barometric pressure, strong and violent updrafts, and high velocity converging winds U urban*: relating to or characteristic of a city or town setting W watershed: the drainage area of a river and its tributaries weather*: day-to-day atmospheric conditions in a given location, pertaining to temperature, wind, atmospheric pressure, and precipitation Glossary of geographic terms 52