click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
World geography voca
chapter 1
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Geography | The study of thee earths surface and the processes that shape it, the connections between places, and the complex relationship between people and their environment |
| GIS | a geographic information system which uses computer technology to collect and analyze data about the earths surface in order to solve geographic problems |
| Absolute location | the position on thee earth in which a place can be found |
| Hemisphere | a half of the earth;the equator divides the northern and southern hemispheres; the prime meridian divides the eastern and western hemispheres |
| Relative Location | the position of a place in a relation to another place |
| Character of a place | the physical and human characteristics that help to distinguish place from other places |
| perception | a viewpoint that id influenced by ones own culture and experiences |
| Formal region | a group of places that have similar attributes and for example a political region |
| functional region | a group of places connected by movement, for example,the region drained by the amazon river and its tributaries |
| perceptual region | a group of places that is defined by peoples feelings and attitudes feelings and attitudes |
| core | the earths center, consisting of very hot metal that is dense and solid in the inner core, and molten and/or liquid in the outter core |
| Mantle | a thick layer of mostly solid rock beneath the earths crust that surrounds the earths core |
| Crust | the rocky surface layer of the earth |
| Lithosphere | the surface features of the earth, including,soil,rocks,and landforms |
| Atmosphere | the layer of gasses, water vapor and other substances above earth |
| Hydrosphere | The water contained in lakes, rivers, and oceans and underground |
| Biosphere | the world of plants, animals and otherliving things in earths living land and water |
| continent | any of the seven large landmasses of the earth's surface: Africa, Antartica, Asia, Eroupe, North America, Australlia, Soutth America |
| Relief | the differences in elevation, or height, of the land forms in any particular area |
| 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 |
| Continental drift theory | the idea that continents slowly shift their positions due to movement of the tectonic plates on which they ride |
| Ring of fire | a ring of volcanic mountains surrounding the pacific ocean |
| weathering | the chemical or mechanical process by which rock is eventually broken down, eventually turned to soil |
| mechanical weathering | the actual breaking up or physical weakening of rock by forces such as ice and roots |
| 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 |
| acid rain | rain whose high concentration of chemicals usually from industrial pollution, pollutes water kills plant and animal life eats away at the surface stone and rock a form of chemical weathering |
| erosion | the movement of weathered materials, including gravel and soil and sand, usually caused by water wind and glaciers |
| sediment | particles of soil and rock carried and deposited by water, wind, and ice |
| loess | fine grained, mineral-rich loam, dust, or silt deposited |
| 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 |