Term | Definition |
Geography | The study of the earth's surface and the processes that shape it, the connections between places, and the complex relationships 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 | half of the world |
relative location | the relation of a location to other places |
character of a place | a place's physical and human characteristics |
perception | a viewpoint that is influenced by one's own culture and experiences |
formal region | areas in which certain characteristics are found throughout the area |
functional regions | a central place and the surrounding places affected by it |
perceptual regions | an area defined by people's feelings and attitudes about the area(s) |
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 |
lithosphere | The surface features of the earth, including soil, rocks, and landforms |
biosphere | The world of plants, animals, and other living things in earth's land and waters |
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 |
continental drift theory | The idea that continents slowly shift their positions due to movement of the tectonic plates on which they ride |
continent | Any of the seven large landmasses of the earth's surface: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America |
ring of fire | A ring of volcanic mountains surrounding the Pacific Ocean |
relief | The differences in elevation, or height, of the land forms 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 |
weathering | The chemical or mechanical process by which rock is gradually broken down, eventually becoming soil |
mechanical weathering | The actual breaking up of 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 form industrial plooution, pollutes water, kills plant and animal life, and eats away at the surface of stone and rock; a form of chemical wethering |
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, of 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 ridge-like mass of rock, gravel, sand, and clay carried and depostited by a glacier |