Download Physical Geography Terms and Definitions Throughout the year we

Physical Geography
Terms and Definitions
Throughout the year we will focus on two main branches of geography: physical and
cultural.
Physical geography refers to the natural world, or those parts of the world that are NOT
created by humans. Physical elements include landforms, bodies of water, climate,
vegetation, wildlife, and natural disasters.
Cultural geography refers to the study of people and their customs and systems. Cultural
elements include government systems, economic systems, language, traditions and customs,
values, religion, celebrations, clothing, music, art, dance, etc.
Physical Elements
Landforms:
archipelago – a group or chain of islands clustered together in a sea or ocean (i.e. Hawaii)
atoll – a low-lying, ring-shaped island that surrounds a lagoon
butte – a hill that rises abruptly from surrounding area and has a flat top
canyon – a deep valley with steep sides cut into the earth by a river
cape – a point of land that extends into a body of water (i.e. Cape Cod)
cavern – a large underground cave
delta – an area of land at the mouth of a river that forms from deposited silt, usually triangular in
shape (i.e. Mississippi River Delta)
desert – a dry region receiving less than 10 inches of precipitation annually, with extreme
temperatures and little or no plant life
forest – a large area of land densely covered with trees, plants, and underbrush
island – a body of land that is surrounded by water
isthmus – a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses and has water on two sides
mesa – a land formation that has a flat area on top and steep walls – usually found in dry areas
mountain – a large, high elevation of land with steep sides (larger than a hill)
peninsula – a large piece of land that juts into a body of water and is surrounded on three sides by
water (i.e. Florida)
plain – a broad, flat area of land with few or no trees (i.e. Great Plains)
plateau – a large flat area of land that is higher than the surrounding land
river – a body of water that flows over land from a source to a larger body of water
valley – a low place between hills or mountains, often with a river flowing through it
volcano – an opening in the earth’s crust that erupts with hot lava, ash, or steam
woods – an area covered trees and underbrush, smaller than a forest
Bodies of Water:
bay – a body of water that is partly enclosed by land, usually smaller than a gulf (i.e. San Francisco
Bay)
cove – a small, horseshoe-shaped body of water along the coast (i.e. Jordon Cove)
estuary – where a river meets the sea or ocean (i.e. Mystic River)
glacier – a large body of slow moving ice
gulf – a large area of sea or ocean partly enclosed by land (i.e. Gulf of Mexico)
lagoon – a shallow body of water separated from the sea or ocean by a narrow strip of land
lake – a large body of water surrounded by land on all sides; really huge lakes are often called seas.
ocean – a large body of salt water that surrounds a continent; oceans cover more than two-thirds of
the earth
river – a large, flowing body of water that usually empties into a sea or ocean
sea – a large body of salty water that is often connected to an ocean
sound – a wide inlet of the sea or ocean that often separates a coastline from a nearby island (i.e.
Long Island Sound)
strait – a narrow stretch of water that connects two larger bodies of water
tributary – a small river or stream that flows into a larger river
Climate: the usual, predictable pattern of weather in an area over a long period of time
Natural Disasters: any event or force of nature that has catastrophic consequences, such as
avalanche, earthquake, flood, forest fire, hurricane, lightning, tornado, tsunami, and volcanic
eruption