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World Geography
Chapter 1 Vocabulary
Term | Definition |
---|---|
1. Geography | the study of the earth's surface and the processes that shape it, the connections between places, and the complex relationships between people and their environments. |
2. GIS | a geographic information system which uses computer technology to collect and analyze data about the earth's surface in order to solve geographic problems. |
3. Absolute Location | the position on the earth in which a place can be found. |
4. Hemisphere | 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 to distinguish a place from other places |
7. Perception | a viewpoint taht is influenced by one's own culture and experiences |
8. Formal Region | a group of places that have similar attributes, for example, a political region |
9. Functional Region | a group of places connected by movement, for example, the region drained by the Amazon River and its attributes |
10. Perceptual Region | a group of places that is defined by people's feeling and attributes |
11. Core | the earth's 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 earth's crust that surrounds the earth's core |
13. Crust | the solid, rocky, surface layer of the earth |
14. Lithosphere | the surface features of the earth, including soil, rocks, and landforms |
15. Atmosphere | the layer of gases, 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. Continent | any of the seven large landmasses of the earth's surface: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America |
19. Relief | the differences of elevation, or height of the land forms in any particular area |
20. Plate Tectonics | the theory that the earth's outer shell is composed of a number large, anchored plates, or slabs of rock, whose constant movement explains earthquakes and volcanic activity |
21. Continental Drift Theory | the idea that the continents slowly shift their position due to movement of the tectonic plates on which they ride |
22. Ring of Fire | a ring of volcanic mountains 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. Moraine | a ridge-like mass of rock, gravel, sand, and clay carried and deposited by a glacier |