click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
world geo
chapter 1 vocabulary
Term | Definition |
---|---|
1. Geography | The study of the earths 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 earths surface in order to solve geographic problems. |
3. Absolute Location | The position on the earth in which a place ccan be found. |
4. Hemishere | A half of the earth; The equator divides the Northern and Southern Hemispheres; The Prime Meridian divides the Eastern and Western Hemisphere. |
5. Relative Location | The position of a place in relation to another place. |
6. Character of a place | The physical and the human characteristics that help to distinguish a place from other places. |
7. Perception | A viewpoint that is influenced by one's own culture and experiences. |
8. Formal Regions | A group of places that have similar attributes, for example, a political region. |
9. Functional Regions | A group of places connected by movement, for example, the region drained by the Amazon River and its tributes. |
10. Perceptual Regions | A group of places that is defined by peoples feelings and attitudes. |
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 of mostly solid rock beneath the earths crust that surrounds the earths core. |
13. Crust | The solid, rocky, surface layer of the earth. |
14. Lithosphere | The surface feature 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. |
19.Relief | The differences in elevation, or height, of the landforms in any particular area. |
20. Plate tectonics | The theory that the earths outer shell is composed of a number of large, unanchored 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. |
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 consenration of chemicals, usually from industrial pollution, pollutes water, kills plant and animal life, and eats away at the surface of stone and rock. |
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. |