nautical chart
Marine navigation paper
A nautical chart is a map designed for marine navigation, showing water depths, coastlines, hazards, currents, and aids to navigation like buoys and lighthouses.
Unlike land maps, nautical charts emphasize what lies beneath the surface: The nautical chart showed a sandbar just off the harbor entrance.
Also called a marine chart or sea chart.
Study of water bodies
- projectionSomething that extends outward
- scaleMeasure of relative size
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- compass roseCartographic direction indicator
gridlines · contours · soundings · bathymetry · latitude · longitude · coastline · topography
Periodic sea-level changes
- currentsDirectional flows of movement
- depthsLowest or innermost regions
- fathomNautical depth unit
- soundingsMeasured water depths
tidal range · tidal stream · ebb · flood · slack water · high water · low water · spring tide
Planned path forward
- bearingPosture or orientation
- waypointNavigation reference location
- plottingDevising a secret plan
- dead reckoningPosition-tracking via estimated motion
pilotage · GPS · radar · LORAN · sextant · celestial navigation · compass · fix
Anchored floating signals
- lighthousesCoastal towers with lamps
- seamarksVisible coastal navigation references
- reefsSubmerged rocky formations
- anchorageSecure harbor spot
harbors · marinas · shipping lanes · depths · channels · shoals · wrecks · obstructions
hydrography
Study of water bodies
- projectionSomething that extends outward
- scaleMeasure of relative size
- legendUnverified traditional tale
compass rose · gridlines · contours · soundings · bathymetry · latitude · longitude · coastline · topography · datum
tides
Periodic sea-level changes
soundings · tidal range · tidal stream · ebb · flood · slack water · high water · low water · spring tide · neap tide
course
Planned path forward
dead reckoning · pilotage · GPS · radar · LORAN · sextant · celestial navigation · compass · fix · track
buoys
Anchored floating signals
- lighthousesCoastal towers with lamps
- seamarksVisible coastal navigation references
- reefsSubmerged rocky formations
anchorage · harbors · marinas · shipping lanes · depths · channels · shoals · wrecks · obstructions · rocks
small-scale
Limited in size or scope
- large-scaleOf great size
- folioSingle-fold page format
- maritimeships, ship, boat, boats, anchors
- Geography Resourcesmap, maps, atlas, atlases, globe
- map featurescompass, compass rose, legend, scale, scale bar
- maps and globesglobe, world map, celestial globe, terrestrial globe, star map
- nautical decorship wheel, ship model, ship models, ship bell, ship in bottle
- navigationcompass, compass rose, signs, charts, navbar
nautical chartroad map
Route-planning guide
road atlas · street map · highway map · topographic map · star chart