| 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. |
