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Geography Vocab
World Geography Glencoe pg 14-15
Question | Answer |
---|---|
absolute location | exact location of a place on the earth described by global coordinates |
basin | area of land drained by a given river and its branches; area of land surrounded by lands of higher elevations |
bay | part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally smaller than a gulf |
canyon | deep and narrow valley with steep walls |
cape | point of land that extends into a river, lake, or ocean |
channel | wide strait of waterway between two landmasses that lie close to each other; deep part of a river or other waterway |
cliff | steep, high wall of rock, earth, or ice |
continent | one of the seven large landmasses on the earth |
delta | flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried downstream by a river and deposited at its mouth |
divide | stretch of high land that separates river systems |
downstream | direction in which a river or stream flows from its source to its mouth |
elevation | height of land above sea level |
Equator | imaginary line that runs around the earth halfway between the North and South Poles; used as the starting point to measure degrees of north and south latitude |
glacier | large, thick body of slowly moving ice |
gulf | part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally larger and more deeply indented than a bay |
harbor | a sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can anchor safely |
highland | elevated land area such as a hill, mountain, or plateau |
hill | elevated land with sloping sides and rounded summit, generally smaller than a mountain |
island | land area, smaller than a continent, completely surrounded by water |
isthmus | narrow stretch of land connecting two larger land areas |
lake | a sizable inland body of water |
latitude | distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees |
longitude | distance east or west of the Prime Meridian, measured in degrees |
lowland | land, usually level, at a low elevation |
map | drawing of the earth shown on a flat surface |
meridian | one of many lines on the global grid running from the North Pole to the South Pole; used to measure degrees of longitude |
mesa | broad, flat-topped landform with steep sides; smaller than a plateau |
mountain | land with steep sides that rises sharply (1,000 feet or more) from surrounding land; generally larger and more rugged than a hill |
mountain peak | pointed top of a mountain |
mountain range | a series of connected mountains |
mouth (of a river) | place where a stream or river flows into a large body of water |
ocean | one of the four major bodies of salt water that surround the continents |
ocean current | stream of either cold or warm water that moves in a definite direction through an ocean |
parallel | one of many line on the global grid that circles the earth north or south of the Equator; used to measure degrees of latitude |
peninsula | body of land jutting into a lake or ocean, surrounded on three sides by water |
physical feature | characteristic of a place occurring naturally, such as a landform, body of water, climate pattern, or resource |
plain | area of level land, usually at low elevation and often covered with grasses |
plateau | area of flat or rolling land at a high elevation, about 300 to 3,000 feet (90 to 900 m)high |
Prime Meridian | line of the global grid running from the North Pole to the South Pole at Greenwich, England; starting point for measuring degrees of east and west longitude |
relief | changes in elevation over a given area of land |
river | large natural stream of water that runs through the land |
sea | large body of water completely or partly surrounded by land |
seacoast | land lying next to a sea or an ocean |
sound | broad inland body of water, often between a coastline and one or more islands off the coast |
source (of a river) | place where a river or stream begins, often in highlands |
strait | narrow stretch of water joining two larger bodies of water |
tributary | small river or stream that flows into a large river or stream; a branch of the river |
upstream | direction opposite the flow of a river; toward the source of a river or stream |
valley | area of low land usually between hills or mountains |
volcano | mountain or hill created as liquid rock and ash erupt from inside the earth |