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World Geography
Chapter 1 Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1.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. |
| 2.GIS | A geographic information system, which uses computer technology to connect and analyze data about the Earth's surface in order to solve geographic problems |
| 3.Absolute Location | A position of the Earth in which a place can be found. |
| 4.Hemisphere | A half of the Earth; the Equator divides the Northern and Southern hemispheres; the Prime Meridian divides the Easter and Western hemisphers |
| 5.Relative Location | The position of a place in relation to another place |
| 6.Character of a place | The physical and human characteristics that help to distinguish a place from other places |
| 7.Perception | A viewpoint that is influenced by one's own culture and experiences. |
| 8.Formal Region | A group of places that have similar attributes, for example, a political region |
| 9.Functional Region | a group of places connected by movement, for example, the region drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries |
| 10.Perceptual Region | a group of places that is defined by peoples feelings and attitudes. |
| 11.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 |
| 12.Mantle | A thick layer of mostly solid rock beneath the earth's crust that surrounds the earth's core |
| 13. Crust | a solid, rocky, surface layer of the earth |
| 14.Lithosphere | the surface features of the earth, including soil, rocks,and landforms |
| 15. Atmosphere | a layer of gases, water vapor, and other substances above the earth |
| 16.Hydrosphere | the water contained in oceans, lakes, river, and under the ground |
| 17.Biosphere | the world of plants, animals, and other living things in earth's land and waters. |
| 18.Continent | any of the seven large landmasses of the earths surface: africa, antarica, asia, australia, europe, north america, and south america |
| 19. Relief | the differences in elevation, or height, of the landforms in any particular area |
| 20. Plate Tectonics | the theory that the earth's outer shell is composed of a large, unanchored plates, or slabs of rock, whose constant movement explains earthquakes and volcanic activity |
| 21.Continental Drift Theory | The idea that continents slowly shift their positions due to movement of the tectonic plates on which they ride |
| 22. Ring of Fire | a ring of volcanic mountains surrounding the pacific ocean |
| 23.Weathering | The chemical or mechanical process by which rock is gradually broken down eventually becoming soil |
| 24. Mechanical Weathering | the actual breaking up or physical weakening of rock by forces such as ice and roots |
| 25.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 |
| 26,Acid Rain | Rain Whose high concentration of chemicals, usually from industrial pollution, pollutes water, kills plant and animal life, and eats away at the surface of stone and rock; a form of chemical weathering |
| 27.erosion | The movement of weathered materials, including gravel, soil,and sand, usually caused by water, wind, and glaciers |
| 28.Sediment | Particles of soil and rock carried and deposited by water, wind, or ice. |
| 29.Loess | Fine-grained, mineral-rich loam, dust, or silt deposited by the wind |
| 30.Glacier | A huge, slow moving mass of snow and ice |
| 31.Moraine | a ridgelike mass of rock, gravel, sand, and clay carried and deposited by a glacier, |