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Ch. 1!!
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 surafce 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 view point that is influenced by one's own culture and experiences. |
9: Formal Region | A group of places that have a similar attributes,for example, a political region. |
10: Functional Region | A group of places connected by movement, for example, the region drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. |
11: Perceptional Region | a group of places that is defined by peoples feelings and attitudes. |
12: Core | The Earths center, consisting of very hot metal that is dense and soled in the inner core and molten, or liquid, in the outer core. |
13: Mantle | A thick layer of mostly solid rock beneath the earths crust that surrounds the earths core. |
14: Crust | the solid, rocky surface layer of the earth. |
15: Lithosphere | the surface features of the earth, including soil, rocks, and land forms. |
16: Atmosphere | the layer of gases, water vapor, and other substances above the earth. |
17: Hydrosphere | the water contained in oceans, lakes, rivers, and under the ground. |
18: Biosphere | the world of plants, animals, and other living things in earths land and waters. |
19: Continent | any of the seven large landmasses of the earths surface. |
20: Relief | the differences in elevations, or height, of the land forms in any particular area |
21: Plate Tectonics | the theory of the earths outer shell is composed of a number of large, unanchored plates, or slabs of rock, whose consant movement explains earthquakes and volcanic activity. |
22: Continental Drift Theory | the idea that continents slowly shift their positions due to movement of the tectonic plates on which they ride. |
23: Ring of Fire | a ring of volcanic mountains surrounding the pacific ocean. |
24: Weathering | the chemical or mechanical process by which rock is gradually broken down eventually becoming soil. |
25: Mechanical Weathering | the actual breaking up or physical weakening of rock by forces such as ice and roots |
26: Chemical Weathering | the process by which the actual chemical structure of rock is changed, usually when water and carbon dioxide cause a breakdown of he rock |
27:Acid Rain | rain who's 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. |
28: Erosion | the movement of weathered materials, including gravel, soil, and sand, usually caused by water, wind, and glaciers. |
29: Sediment | particles of soil and rock carried and deposited by water, wind, or ice. |
30: Loess | fine-grained, mineral-rich loam, dust, or silt deposited by the wind. |
31: Glacier | a huge, slow-moving mass of snow and ice. |
32: Moraine | a ridge like mass of rock, gravel, sand, and clay carried and deposited by a glacier |