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Exam 1 Geography
TPS Middle School Geography - definition list for Exam 1
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| geography | study of the human and non human features of earth |
| cardinal direction | north, east, south, and west |
| intermediate direction (intercardinal direction) | a compass direction that lies between in the cardinal directions, such as northeast |
| latitude | the position north or south of the Equator measured in degrees |
| longitude | the position in degrees east of west of the Prime Meridian |
| scale | relative size |
| distortion | loss of accuracy |
| projection | way to map Earth on a flat surface |
| equinox | period during which hours of daylight and hours of darkness are of equal length everywhere on Earth |
| solstice | period during which hours of daylight are longest in one hemisphere and shortest in the other hemisphere |
| weathering | process that breaks down rock into tiny pieces |
| deposition | process of dropping eroded material in a new place |
| plate techtonics | a process involving huge blocks of earths crust and upper mantle that are called tectonic plates |
| fault | crack in Earth's crust |
| magma | molten rock found under Earth's surface |
| weather | condition of the air and sky at a certain time and place |
| climate | average weather of a place over many years |
| tropics | area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn; also known as low latitudes |
| temperate zone | area between the high and low latitudes; also known as the middle latitudes |
| water cycle | the movement of water from the Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back again |
| natural resource | useful material found in the environment |
| fossil fuel | nonrenewable resource that forms over millions of years from the remains of dead plants and animals |
| culture | the beliefs, customs, practices and behaviors of a particular nation or group of people |
| social structure | a pattern of organized relationships among groups of people within a society |
| biome | a region made up of similar ecosystems and communities of plants and animals |
| ecosystem | a group of plants and animals that depend on each other and their environment for survival |
| social class | a group of people living in similar economic conditions |
| cultural diffusion | the spread of cultural traits from one culture to another |
| economics | the study of how people meet their wants and needs |
| government | a group of people who have the power to make and enforce laws for a country or area |
| constitution | a system of basic rules and principles by which a government is organized |
| democracy | a form of government in which citizens hold political power |
| authoritarian government | a government in which all power is held by a single person or a small group |
| monarchy | a form of government in which the state is ruled by a monarch |
| unitary system | a system in which a central government makes all laws for the entire country |
| federal system | a system in which power is divided among central, regional and local governments |