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vocabulary
world geography
Term | Definition |
---|---|
geography | the study of the earth's surface ad the processes that shape it, the connections between people and their environments. |
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 |
absolute location | the position on the 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 relation to another place. |
perception | a viewpoint that is influenced by ones owns culture and experience. |
character of a place | the physical and human characteristics that help to distinguish a place from other places. |
formal region | a group of places that have a similar attributes for example a political region. |
perceptual region | a group of places that is defined by people's feelings and attitudes. |
functional region | a group of places connected by movement for example the region drained by the amazon river and its tributaries. |
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. |
mantle | a thick layer of mostly solid rock beneath the earth's crust that surrounds the earth's core. |
crust | the solid rocky surface layer of the earth. |
lithosphere | the surface features of the earth including soil rocks and landforms. |
atmosphere | the layer of gases water vapor and other substances above the earth. |
hydrosphere | the water contained in oceans lakes rivers and under the ground. |
biosphere | the world of plants animals and other living things in earth's land and waters. |
continent | any of the seven large landmasses of the earth's surface. |
relief | the differences in elevation or height of the landforms in any particular area. |
plate tectonics | the theory that the earth's 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 mountain's 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 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 and eats away at the surface of stone and rock. |
erosion | the movement of weathered materials including gravel soil and sand 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 the wind. |
glacier | a huge slow-moving mass of snow and ice. |
moraine | a ridgelike mass of rock gravel sand and clay carried and deposited by a glacier. |