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World Geo
Chapter 1 Vocabulary
Term | Definition |
---|---|
1. Geography | The study of the earths surface and the processes that shape it, the connections between places, and the complex relationships between people and their environment |
2. GIS | A geographic information system, which uses computer technology to collect and analyze data about the earths surface in order to solve geographic problems |
3. Absolute Location | the position on the earth in which a place can be found |
4. Hemispheres | A half of the earth; the equator divides the northern and Southern Hemispheres; 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 distinguish a place from other places |
7. Perception | viewpoint that is influenced by ones own culture and experiences |
8. Formal Regions | A group of places that have similar attributes, for example a political region |
9. Functional Regions | A group of places connected by movement, for example, the region drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries |
10. Perceptual Regions | A group of places that is defined by people's feelings and attitudes |
11. Core | the earths 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 earths crust that surrounds the earths core |
13. crust | the solid, rocky, surface layer of the earth |
14. lithosphere | the surface features of the earth, including rocks, soil, and landforms |
15. atmosphere | the layer of gasses, 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, animals, and other living things in earths land and waters |
18. Continents | any of the seven large landmasses of the earths surface: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America |
19. relief | the differences in elevation, or height, of the landforms in any particular area |
20. plate tectonics | the theory that the earths outer shell is composed of a number of large, unanchored plates, or slabs of rock, whose constant movement explains earthquakes and volcanic activity |
21. Continental Drift Theory | The idea that continents slowly shift their positions due to movement of the tectonic plates at which they ride |
22. Ring of Fire | A ring of volcanic mountain surrounding the Pacific Ocean |
23. Weathering | the chemical or mechanical process by which rock is gradually broken down, eventually becoming soil |
24. Mechanical Weathering | the actual breaking up or physical weakening of rock by forces such as ice and roots |
25. 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 |
26. 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 rock; a form of chemical weathering |
27. Erosion | the movement of weathered materials, including gravel, soil, and sand, usually caused by water, wind, and glaciers |
28. Sediment | particles of soil and rock carried and deposited by water, wind, or ice |
29. Loess | fine grained, mineral rich loam, dust, or silt deposited by the wind |
30. Glacier | a huge, slow moving mass of snow and ice |
31. Moraines | a ridge like mass of rock, gravel, sand, and clay carried and deposited by a glacier |