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Geography Terms
Geography terms learned in CC of W-S weeks 1-14
Question | Answer |
---|---|
mesa | a flat-topped, rocky hill with steeply sloping side |
meadow | an area of level land where grass is grown and usually cut for hay |
marsh | an area of low, wet, poorly drained land |
longitude | longitude is a west-east measurement of position on the earth |
locks | an enclosure with gates built in a canal or river so that ships can be raised or lowered by changing the water level |
levee | an embankment beside a stream that prevents overflow |
left bank | the bank of a stream that lies on the left side as one goes with the current |
ledge | a projection of rock having the appearance of a shelf |
latitude | latitude is a north-south measurement of position on the earth |
land | the portion of the earth's surface above the level of the sea or ocean |
lake | an inland body of water usually of considerable size |
lagoon | a pool of shallow water connected to the sea by an inlet |
knoll | a small, round hill or mound |
knob | a smooth rounded hill |
keys | an island or reef that does not stick up very far above the water |
junction | the meeting point of two streams, roads or railroads |
isthmus | a narrow piece of land joining two larger bodies with land, or joining a peninsula with a mainland |
island | an area of land surrounded by water |
irrigated land | land watered by artificial means through the use of small canals or ditches |
inlet | a small opening between two larger bodies of water |
iceberg | a huge block of floating ice broken from a glacier, found in the most northerly and southerly areas of the worlds oceans |
horizon | the line where the earth's surface and the sky seem to meet |
hill | a small area of land that is higher than the land around it |
headland | a high area of land with a steep slope, projecting into a body of water |
harbor | a sheltered body of water where ships anchor and are protected from storms |
gulf | an area of water bordering on, and lying within a curved coastline |
gulch | a narrow, rocky valley or gorge; a ravine |
grove | a group of trees smaller than a forest, generally without undergrowth |
gorge | narrow passage between steep mountains or hills |
glen | a small valley usually long, narrow, and with steep sides |
glacier | a large sheet or stream of ice formed in an area, usually at high elevations, where the temperature remains below or near freezing and more snow accumulates in winter than melts in summer |
forest | a large area of land covered with trees |
ford | a shallow place where a stream or body of water my be crossed by wading or driving through the water |
foothill | a hill at the base of a mountain |
fjord | a deep, narrow inlet of the sea between high, steep banks |
field | an area of cleared land, often bound by fences |
fall line | the line connecting the places where streams emerge form the uplands onto lowlands usually marked by water falls or rapids |
estuary | a narrow arm of the sea at he mouth of a river where the ocean tide meets the river current |
elevation | heigh or distance above sea level |
earth | the planed on which people live |
dune | a hill or ridge of sand piled up by the wind |
drainage basin | the area from which a single stream or river and its tributaries drains all of the water |
downstream | the direction in which a stream is flowing |
divide | a water parting or water-shed that separates two drainage areas |
dike | earth or other material built up along a river or ocean to keep the water from overflowing onto land |
desert | a large area of land with little or no moisture or vegetation |
delta | a deposit, usually triangular in shape, of sand and soil that forms at the mouth of a river |
dell | a small, sheltered valley or ravine |
dam | a bank or wall built across a stream to hold back or redirect water |
dale | a small valley |
current | the swiftly moving part of a stream or ocean |
cultivated land | land that is plowed or spaded and used for growing crops |
creek | a natural stream of running water larger than a brook but smaller than a river |
crater | the bowl-shaped opening at the top of a volcano |
crag | a projecting point of rock, usually perpendicular or nearly so |
cove | a small, sheltered inlet from any body of water |
country | a nation or area of land that is politically controlled by one government |
continental shelf | the shallow sea area bordering the continents |
continent | any one of the seven largest areas of land on the earth's surface |
coast | land along the sea |
cliff | the steep, rocky face of a bluff |
cinder cone | a cone shaped mass of material made by volcanic eruption |
chasm | an empty, deep gap in the surface of the earth |
channel | a narrow strip of water |
cavern | a large cave of room size or larger |
cave | a deep, hollowed out are under the earth's surface |
cape | a narrow piece of land projecting into the sea |
canyon | a deep, narrow valley having high, steep slopes |
canal | a constructed channel filled with water used for navigation, irrigation, or drainage |
brook | a natural stream of running water smaller than a river or a creek |
brink | the very edge at the top of a bluff, cliff of precipice |
breakers | waves breaking into foam as they approach or dash against the shore |
branch | a small stream or creek emptying into a larger stream |
bog | very wet, spongy ground not able to support much weight, usually made up of decayed plants |
bluff | a steep, high bank beside a body of water |
beach | the pebbly or sandy shore of the sea or of a lake that is washed by the waves |
bayou | a slow, sluggish stream; usually used to describe inlets from the Gulf of Mexico or from the Mississippi River |
bay | any inlet of the ocean or part of the ocean bordering on land and partly surrounded by land |
basin | a low place in the surface of the land, usually with a body of water occupying the lowest part |
bank | the steep or sloping border of any stream |
atoll | a small island the shape of a ring or horseshoe formed by deposits of coral sea animals |
arm | an inlet from the sea or other body of water |
archipelago | a group or chain of many islands in a sea (usually shaped like an arch) |
altitude | elevation or height above sea level |