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GW Geography Terms
GranWood Trail Guide+ Geography Terms
Question | Answer |
---|---|
a group or chain of islands clustered together in a sea or ocean. | archipelago |
a body of water that is partly enclosed by land (and is usually smaller than a gulf). | bay |
a man-made waterway used for transportation or irrigation. | canal |
a pointed piece of land that sticks out into a sea, ocean, lake, or river. | cape |
a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water. a part of a river or harbor that is deep enough to let ships sail through. | channel |
the line or zone where the land meets the sea or some other large expanse of water | coast |
a low, watery land formed at the mouth of a river. It is formed from the silt, sand and small rocks that flow downstream in the river and are deposited | delta |
a very dry area | desert |
a part of the ocean (or sea) that is partly surrounded by land (it is usually larger than a bay). | gulf |
A sheltered part of a body of water deep enough to provide anchorage for ships. | harbor |
half of the terrestrial globe, divided into northern and southern by the equator or into eastern and western by some meridians, usually 0° and 180° | hemisphere |
a piece of land that is surrounded by water. | island |
the angular distance north or south from the equator to a particular location. | latitude |
a body of land that is surrounded by water on three sides. | peninsula |
flat lands that have only small changes in elevation. | plain |
a large, flat area of land that is higher than the surrounding land. | plateau |
a large, flowing body of water that usually empties into a sea or ocean. | river |
open grasslands, usually with scattered bushes or trees, characteristic of much of tropical Africa | savanna |
a large body of salty water that is often connected to an ocean. may be partly or completely surrounded by land. | sea |
a wide inlet of the sea or ocean that is parallel to the coastline; it often separates a coastline from a nearby island. | sound |
a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water. | strait |
an extensive grassy plain usually without trees | steppe |
A long, steep-sided valley on the ocean floor; they form when one tectonic plate slides beneath another plate at a subduction zone. | trench |
a mountainous vent in the Earth's crust; when it erupts, it spews out lava, ashes, and hot gases from deep inside the Earth. | volcano |
the height of an area, measured from sea level. | altitude |
an imaginary circle at latitude 66°30' S, around the south pole. | Antarctic Circle |
an imaginary circle at latitude 66°30' N, around the north pole. | Arctic Circle |
a ring (or partial ring) of coral that forms an island in an ocean or sea. | atoll |
a flat-topped rock or hill formation with steep sides. | butte |
a deep valley with very steep sides - often carved from the Earth by a river. | canyon |
a large hole in the ground or in the side of a hill or mountain. | cave |
a steep face of rock and soil. | cliff |
a small, horseshoe-shaped body of water along the coast; the water is surrounded by land formed of soft rock. | cove |
a hill or a ridge made of sand; they are shaped by the wind, and change all the time. | dune |
an imaginary circle around the earth, halfway between the north and south poles. | equator |
where a river meets the sea or ocean. | estuary |
a long, narrow sea inlet that is bordered by steep cliffs. | fjord |
a natural hot spring that occasionally sprays water and steam above the ground. | geyser |
a slowly moving river of ice. | glacier |
a raised area or mound of land. | hill |
a thick slab of floating ice that is next to land. | ice shelf |
a narrow strip of land connecting two larger landmasses; it has water on two sides. | isthmus |
a shallow body of water that is located alongside a coast and separated from the ocean by a strip of land or a sandbank. | lagoon |
a large body of water surrounded by land on all sides. | lake |
the angular distance east or west from the north-south line that passes through Greenwich, England, to a particular location. | longitude |
a type of freshwater, brackish water or saltwater wetland that is found along rivers, pond, lakes and coasts. | marsh |
a circular arc (a great circle) of longitude that meets at the north and south poles and connects all places of the same longitude. | meridian |
a land formation that has a flat area onthe top and steep walls; usually occur in dry areas. | mesa |
a very tall high, natural place on Earth - higher than a hill. | mountain |
a place in the desert that has water and is fertile. | oasis |
a large body of salt water that surrounds a continent. | ocean |
a map that shows an areas natural physical features, like mountains, lakes, and rivers. | physical map |
a map that shows cultural features, like the political boundaries of countries, states, provinces, and cities. | political map |
a small body of water surrounded by land; smaller than a lake. | pond |
a wide, relatively flat area of land that has grasses and only a few trees. | prairie |
a chain of mountains and/or high elevations. | range |
an undersea growth of coral near the surface of the water. | reef |
a topographic map that uses different colors or shades to indicate elevations. | relief map |
a man-made lake that stores water for future use. | reservoir |
a type of freshwater wetland that has spongy, muddy land and a lot of water. | swamp |
a map that represents elevations on it. | topographic map |
a stream or river that flows into a larger river. | tributary |
an imaginary line of latitude at 23°30' N. | Tropic of Cancer |
an imaginary line of latitude at 23°30' S. | Tropic of Capricorn |
the warm, equatorial region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. | tropics |
cold, treeless area; it is the coldest biome. | tundra |
When a river falls off steeply | waterfall |
a low place between mountains. | valley |
an area of land that is often wet; the soil in wetlands are often low in oxygen; many types including: swamp, slough, fen, bog, marsh, moor, muskeg, peatland, bottomland, delmarva, mire, wet meadow, riparian, etc. | wetland |