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World Geography 81
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 collect and analyze data about the earth's surface in order to solve geographic problems |
| 3.Absolute Location | The position on 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 Eastern and Western hemispheres |
| 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 Religion | A group of places that have similar attributes, for example, a political religion |
| 9.Functional Religion | A group of places connected by movement, for example, the region drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries |
| 10.Perceptual Religion | A group of places that is defined by people's 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 | The solid, rocky, surface layer of the earth |
| 14.Lithosphere | The surface features of the earth, including soil, rocks, and landforms |
| 15.Atmoshpere | The layer of gases, water vapor, and other substances above the earth |
| 16.Hydrosphere | The water contained in oceans, lakes, rivers, and under the ground |
| 17.Biosphere | The world of plants, animals, and other living things in the earth's land and waters. |
| 18.Continent | Any of the seven large landmasses of the earth's surface: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America |
| 19.Relief | The differences in elevation, or height, of the land forms in any particular area |
| 20.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 |
| 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 or rock by forces such as ice and roots |
| 25.Chemical Weathering | The process by which the actual chemical structure of the 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 |