Term | Definition |
Bay | Part of A large body of water that extends into the shoreline. |
Channel | Wide Strait or waterway between two landmasses that lie close to each other. |
Climate | Usual predictable pattern of weather over a long period of time. |
Current | Moving streams of water in the world's oceans;affects climate. |
Drought | Long periods of extreme dryness and water shortage. |
Elevation | Height above sea level. |
Landform | Individual features of the land. |
Gulf | Part of a large body of water that enstends inland; larger than a bay. |
Harbor | A sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can anchor safely. |
Hurricane | Violent tropical storm with high winds and heavy rainfall. |
Island | Land completely surronded by waater |
Lake | A sizeable inland body of water. |
High-Latitude Climate | Cold climate lies from 60 degrees north to the North Pole and from 60 degrees south to South Pole. |
Highland Climate | Cool or Cold climate that varies with elevation ( like high up in the mountains.) |
Tropical climate | Warm year round extends from the equator to the tropic of cancer (23 1/2 degrees north) and from the equator to the Tropic of Capricorn (23 1/2 degrees south) |
Mid-latitude Climate | Temperature climate (think seasons) extends from 23 1/2 degrees north to 60 degrees north and from 23 1/2 south to 60 degrees south. |
El Nino | Caused by the combination of temperature wind and water.Formed when cold winds from the north are weak. Pacific Ocean gets warmer. Occurs every 3 years. |
La Nina | Eastern winds become strong and the opposite of El Nino occurs-Pacific ocean gets colder. |
Dry Climate | dry due to partially dry areas with little to no rain; temperatures can range from very cold to very hot. |
Typhoon | Name for a hurricane in Asia |
Tornado | funnel-shaped windstorm; sometimes forms during a thunderstorm. |
Tropics | Low latitude region between the tropic of cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. |
Mountain | Land with steep sides that rise sharply (1,000 ft or more) from surrounding land. |
Mountain Range | A series of connected mountains |
Monsoon | Seasonal wind that blows over a continent for a long period of time. |
Weather | Unpredictable changes in the air that take place in a short period of time. |
Peninsula | A body of land surrounded by three sides of water. |
Plain | Area of low land at low elevation; covered with grass. |
Plateau | Flat or rolling land at high elevation usually 30 ft high0- 30,000 |
Physical Feature | Characteristics of a place naturally occuring landforms climate & resources. |
River | Large natural stream of water that runs through land. |
Sea | Large body of water partially or completely surrounded by land. |
Strait | Narrow stretch of water joining two larger bodies of water |
Ocean | One of four major bodies of water that surround the continents |
Volcano | Mountain created as liquid rock and ash erupt from inside the earth |
Valley | Area of lowland between hills and mountains. |