| Word |
Definition |
| Geographer |
A person who studies the Earth and its people. |
| Geography |
The study of Earth and its people; divided into Physical Geography and Human Geography. |
| Physical Geography |
The study of Earth's natural features. |
| Human Geography |
The study of people and how they interact with the environment. |
| Location |
The position of something or someone on the Earth's surface. |
| Place |
What you find at a location; every place has unique physical and human characteristics. |
| Interaction |
People's relationship with the environment, particularly how they use the environment and the impact they have on it. |
| Region |
A group of areas that share certain common characteristics. |
| Globe |
A miniature model of the planet Earth, usually showing landforms, waterways, and political boundaries. |
| Map |
A flat projection of some aspect of Earth's surface, such as landforms and waterways, political regions, economic regions, and so on. |
| Absolute Location |
Exactly where something is located on Earth. |
| Relative Location |
The location of a place compared to a known, familiar place. |
| Latitude Lines |
The imaginary lines on maps and globes running east and west; used to locate places. |
| Longitude Lines |
The imaginary lines on maps and globes running north and south; used to locate places. |
| Grid |
A pattern of lines running horizontally and vertically that cross each other at right angles. |
| Direction |
As used in this unit, the arrow pointing North on maps and globes. |
| Scale |
The size of an area on a map or globe compared with the actual size of that area on Earth. |
| Key/Legend |
That which explains the symbols on maps and globes. |
| Oceans |
One of Earth's four largest bodies of water. |
| Continents |
One of seven major land masses on Earth. |
| Landforms |
The shape land takes; types of landforms include plains, plateaus, hills, and mountains. |
| Atmosphere |
The layer of air covering Earth. |
| Climate |
The main kind of weather in an area. |
| Precipitation |
Water in the air that falls as rain, hail, or snow. |
| Natural Vegetation Region |
A region of Earth characterized by a particular kind of plant life. |
| System |
A working thing composed of two or more parts that work together and are interdependent; there are two types: open and closed. |
| Open System |
A system that cannot operate on its own; needs something to start it or keep it going. |
| Closed System |
A system that operates on its own; it does not need ouside help to start or to keep going. |
