click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
World Geog
Chapter 1 Vocabulary
Term | Definition |
---|---|
1. Geography | The study of where people , places , and things are located and how they relate to each other. |
2. GIS | A geographic information system , which uses computer technology to collect and analyze data about the earth's surface in order to solve geographic problems |
3. Absolute Location | The position on the earth in which a place can be found. |
4. Hemisphere | A half of the earth ; the Equator divides the Northern and Southern hemisphere ; the Prime Meridian divides the Eastern and Western hemispheres. |
5. Relative Location | The position of a place in relation to another place. |
6. Character Of A Place | The physical and human characteristics that help to distinguish a place from other places. |
7. Perception | A group of places that is defined by people's feelings and attitudes. |
8. Formal Region | A group of places that have similar attributes , for example , a political region. |
9. Functional Region | A group of places connected by movement , for example , the region drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. |
10. Perceptual Region | A group of places that is defined by peopl's feelings and attitudes. |
11. Core | The earth's center , consisting of very hot metal that is dense and solid in the inner core and molten , or liquid , in the outer core. |
12. Mantle | A thick layer of mostly solid rock beneath the earth's crust that surrounds the earth's core. |
13. Crust | The solid , rocky , surface layer of the earth. |
14. Lithosphere | The surface features of the earth , including soil , rocks , and landforms. |
15. Atmosphere | The layer of gases , water vapor, and other substances above the earth. |
16. Hydrosphere | The water contained in oceans , lakes , rivers , and under the ground. |
17. Biosphere | The world of plants , and other living things in earth's land and waters. |
18. Continent | Any of the seven large landmasses of the earth's surface : Africa , Antarctica , Asia , Australia , Europe , North America , and South America. |
19. Relief | The differences in elevation , or height, of the landforms in any particular area. |
20. Plate Tectonics | The theory that the earth's outer shell is composed of a number of large , unanchored plates , or slabs of rock whose constant movement explains earthquakes and volcanic activity. |
21. Continent Drift Theory | The idea that continents slowly shift their positions due to movement of the tectonic plates on which they ride. |
22. Ring Of Fire | A ring of volcanic mountains surrounding the Pacific Ocean. |
Weathering | The chemical or mechanical process by which rock is gradually broken down , eventually becoming soil. |
Mechanical Weathering | The actual breaking up or physical weakening of rock by forces such as ice and roots. |
Chemical Weathering | The process by which the actual chemical structure of rock is changed , usually when water and carbon dioxide cause a breakdown of the rock. |
Acid Rain | Rain whose high concentration of chemicals , usually from industrial pollution , pollutes water , kills plant and animal life , and eats away at the surface of stone and rocks; a form of chemical weathering |
Erosion | The movement of weathered materials , including gravel , soil , and sand , usually caused by water , wind , and glaciers |
Sediment | Particles of soil and rock carried and deposited by water , wind , or ice. |
Loess | Fine-grained , mineral-rich loam , dust ,or silt deposited by the wind. |
Glacier | A huge , slow-moving mass of snow and ice. |
Moraine | A ridgelike mass of rock , gravel , sand, and clay carried and deposited by a glacier. |