Term | Definition |
Bay | Part of a large body of water that extends into the shoreline |
Channel | Wide strait or waterway between two landmasses that lie close to each other |
Climate | Usual predictable pattern of weather over a long period of time |
Current | Moving streams of water un the worlds oceans; affects climate |
Drought | Long periods of extreme dryness and water shortage |
Elevation | Height above sea level |
Land form | Individual features of the land |
Gulf | Part of a large body that extends inland; larger than a bay |
Harbor | A sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can anchor safely |
Hurricane | Violent tropical storm with heavy winds and heavy rainfall |
Island | Land completely surrounded by water |
Lake | A sizeable inland body of water |
High-Latitude Climate | Cold climate lies from 60 degrees north to the North Pole and from 60 degrees soth to the South Pole |
Highland Climate | Cool or cold climate that varies with elevation; high up in the moutains |
Tropical Climate | Warm year round extends from the equator to the Tropic of Cancer and frim the equator to the Tropic of Capricorn |
Mid-Latitude Climate | Temprate climate extends from 23 1/2 degrees north to 60 degrees north and from 23 1/2 south to 60 degrees south |
Prevailing Wind | Movements of air that travels around the earth in a typical pattern |
El Nino | Caused by the combination of tempature wind and water. Formed when cold winds from the north are weak. Pacific Ocean gets warmer. Occurs every 3 years. |
La Nina | Eatern winds become strong and the opposite of El Nino occurs-Pacific Ocean gets cooler |
Dry Climate | Dry to particially dry areas wuth little to no rain; tempatures can range from very cold to very hot |
Typhoon | Name for a hurricane in Asia |
Tornado | Funneled-shaped windstorm; sometimes forms during thunder storm |
Moutain | Land with steep sides that rise sharply from surrounding land |
Moutain Range | A series of connected mountains |
Monsoon | Seasonal wind that blows over a continent for a long period of time |
Weather | Unpredictable changes in the air that takes place in a short period of time |
Peninsula | Body of land jutting out into a lake or an ocean, and surrounded by three sides, by water |
Plain | Area of low land at low elavation; covered with grass |
Plateau | Flat or rolling land at high elevation usually 300-30,000 ft high |
Physical Feature | Characteristics of a place-naturally occuring like landforms, climate, resources |
River | Large natural stream of water that runs through land |
Sea | Large body of water partically or completely surrounded by land |
Strait | Narrow stretch of water joining two larger bodies of water |
Ocean | 1 of the 4 major bodies of salt water that surround the continents |
Volcano | Moutain created as a liquid rock and ash erupt from inside the earth |
Valley | Area of low land between hills and mountains |
Tropics | Low latitude region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn |