CartographersMapmakersGreat Circle Routetraveling along a great circlePlanar Projectiona map created by projecting an image of the Earth onto a geometric planeLATITUDEthe distance in degrees north or south of the equatorLongitudeDistance east or west of the prime meridianABSOLUTE LOCATIONExact location of a place on the earth described by global coordinatesPRIME MERIDIANthe earth's zero of longitude, which by convention passes through Greenwich, England.Northern HemisphereThe half of the Earth that lies north of the equatorSouthern Hemisphere.everything South of the Equator is in the Southern Hemisphere.Eastern Hemisphereeverything east of the prime meridianWestern Hemisphere.everything West of the prime meridan is located in the Western Hemisphere.Absolute locationis the point where lines of longitude and latitude meet.Relative Locationis the location of one place in relation to another.Physical Mapa thematic (special purpose) map that shows the major physical features of a placeHuman madeor determined by human rather than nature.