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World Geographyy
Chapter 1 Vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
1.Geography | The study of the earthś 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 earthś surface in order to solve geographic problems |
3. Absolute locations | The position on the earth in which place can be found. |
4. Hemisphere | A half of the earth; the Equator divides the Nothern 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 distinguish a place from other places |
7. Perception | A viewpoint that is influenced by ones 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 tributaries |
10. Perceptual Region | A group of places that is defined by peopleś feeling and attidues |
11. Core | The Earths 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 mostly solid rock breath the earths crust that surrounds the earths 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 Earths surface: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. |
19. Rellief | The differences in elevation, or height, or the landforms in any particular area. |
20. Plate Tectonics | The Theory that the earths outer shell is composed of a number of large, anchored plates, or slabs of rock, whose constant movement explains earthquakes and volcanic activity. |
21. Continental drift theory | The idea that continents slowly shift their positions due to movement of the tectonic plates on which they ride. |
22. Ring of Fire. | A ring of volcanic mountains surrounding the Pacific Ocean. |
Weathering | The chemical or mechanical process by which rock is gradually broken down, eventually becoming soil |
Mechanical weathering | The actual breaking up or physical weakening of rock by forces such as ice and roots |
Chemical Weathering | The process of which the actual chemical structure of rock is changed, usually when water and carbon dioxide cause a breakdown of the rock. |
Acid Rain | Rain whose high concentration of chemicals, usually from industrial pollution, pollutes water, kills plant and animal life, eats away at the surface of stone and rock; a form of chemical weathering. |
Erosion | The movement of weathered materials including grave, soil, and sad, usually caused by water, wind, and glaciers. |
Sediment | Particles of soil and rock carried and deposited by water, wind, or ice. |
Loess | Fine-grained, mineral-rich loam, dust, or silt deposited by wind. |
Glacier | A huge, slow-moving mass of snow and ice. |
Moraine | A ridge-like mass of rock, gravel, sand, and clay carried and deposited by a glacier. |