Download Map vocab - pimparasa

GEOGRAPHY VOCABULARY
aborigine – original inhabitant of area or
a region.
absolute humidity - mass of water vapour in
the atmosphere per unit of volume of space.
absolute location - location of a point on the
Earth's surface that can be expressed by latitude
and longitude.
accessibility - characteristic of a place that tells
us how it can be reached by different means
acre – unit of area measure which is 404 square
metres.
altitude - distance above sea level, tells you
how high or how tall a mountain or other piece
of land is.
Antarctic Circle - is an imaginary circle at
latitude 66°30' S, around the south pole.
Antarctica - the world's fifth largest continent.
antipodes - are a pair of points that are on
opposite sides of a planet (like the North Pole
and the South Pole).
Arctic – land area surrounding South Pole – the
fifth continent.
Arctic Circle is an imaginary circle at latitude
66°30' N, around the north pole. It marks the
northernmost point at which the sun is visible on
the
northern
winter
solstice
and
the
southernmost point at which the midnight sun
can be seen on the northern summer solstice.
archipelago - group or chain of islands close
together in an ocean or sea. The Philippine
Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.
atlas - a book that contains a collection of maps.
atoll – small tropical islands encircling shallow
pools of seawater called lagoons. It is a ring (or
partial ring) of coral that forms an island in an
ocean or sea.
axis – imaginary line through Earth’s centre
from North to South Pole around which Earth
rotates.
azimuth - is the angle that a line makes with a
meridian (a line of longitude), going clockwise
from north.
badland – rocky irregular wasteland that has
been shaped wind and water erosion of
sedimentary rock.
bay – wide area of sea or lake partly enclosed
by dry land (and is usually smaller than a gulf).
beach – sandy or rocky land at the edge of an
ocean, sea or lake.
bedrock - solid rock that underlies all soil or
other loose material.
birth-rate – number of births per year per
thousand of population for given region
bog – a marsh filled with stagnant water and
dead plants.
border – dividing line between countries or
other geographical units.
boundaries - lines indicating the limits of
countries, states, or other political organisation.
On maps, boundaries are shown as straight
lines, dotted lines, or going through mountains
or water.
boundary –dividing line between one political
state and another, also between different types
of regions.
butte - an isolated hill or mountain with steep
sides with a small flat top.
canal - is a man-made waterway used for
transportation or irrigation. The Suez Canal is in
Egypt.
canyon - is a deep valley with very steep sides often made in the Earth by a river. Small
canyons are called chasms, forges, or ravines.
cape - a pointed piece of land extending into
water. Small capes are often called points or
spits
carrying capacity - the number of people that
an area can support given the quality of the
natural environment and the level of technology
of
the
population.
cartographer - a person who draws or makes
maps or charts.
cartography - is the study and the construction
of maps.
cave - is a large hole in the ground or in the side
of a hill or mountain.
cavern – is a large cave or a series of connected
caves.
CBD - the central business district of an urban
area; typically has many offices and activities.
census – official population count
civilization – organized society with developing
art and technology
cliff – a steep face of rock or earth.
climate - the weather conditions over a period
of time in a particular area. Major climates
include: polar, dry, mild, continental, mountain,
and tropical.
coast – area where landmass meets body of
water.
compass - a device that always points north. It
is used for navigation.
compass rose - a design on a map that shows
direction. It points which way is north, south,
east, west.
conic projection - a type of map in which a
cone is wrapped around a sphere (the globe),
and the details of the globe are projected onto
the conic surface. Then, the cone is unwrapped
into a flat surface.
coniferous - bearing cones; from the conifer
family.
continent – one of the seven great masses of
land on Earth (North America, South America,
Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica).
continental climate - the type of climate found
in the interior of the major continents in the
middle, or temperate, latitudes. The climate is
characterized by a great seasonal variation in
temperatures, four distinct seasons.
continental divide – long mountain line that
determines the directions of continent’s rivers.
continental shelf – shallow underwater plain
that is the real edge of a continent.
contour - a line on a topographic map that
represents locations that have the same altitude.
conurbation – group of towns or cities extended
to form continuous urban area.
coordinates – location finders on a map,
marked by letters or numbers.
coral – skeletons of billions small seal animal
called polyps.
cordillera – mountain system consisting of
several parallel ranges.
core area - the portion of a country that
contains its economic, political, intellectual, and
cultural focus.
coastline – point at which land meets ocean or
sea.
cove - is small, horseshoe-shaped body of water
along the coast; the water is surrounded by land
formed of soft rock.
crevasse – a deep crack in either the ice on top
of a glacier or the ground after an earthquake.
crust - the layer of rock on the Earth's surface.
culture - he accumulated habits, attitudes, and
beliefs of a group of people that define for them
their general behaviour and way of life; the total
set of learned activities of a people.
cylindrical projection - a type of map in which
a cylinder is wrapped around a sphere (the
globe), and the details of the globe are projected
onto the cylindrical surface. Then, the cylinder is
unwrapped into a flat surface, yielding a
rectangular-shaped map. Cylindrical maps have
a lot of distortion in the polar regions.
deciduous forest - forests in which the trees
lose their leaves each year.
degree - is a unit of measurement; a degree is
also written °. There are 360 degrees in a circle.
Each degree is divided into 60 minutes, written
as the symbol '. For example, 10 and a half
degrees is written 10° 30'. Degrees on a map
help us locate places.
degree – unit of measurement for latitude and
longitude.
delta - is a low, watery land formed at the
mouth of a river. It is formed from the silt, sand
and small rocks that flow downstream in the
river and are deposited in the delta. A delta is
often (but not always) shaped like a triangle
(hence its name, delta, a Greek letter that is
shaped like a triangle).
demography - the systematic analysis of
population.
desert – a very dry and desolate land with little
rainfall. Most deserts are covered with rocks and
stones (Sahara Desert).
distortion – changed size and shape of land and
water on flat map projections.
dune - is a hill of sand. Dunes are shaped by the
wind and change all the time.
earthquake - a shaking of the Earth's surface
because of underground movement.
Eastern Hemisphere - consists of Africa, Asia,
Australia, and Europe.
ecosystem - a complex system of interaction
between living organisms and their non-living
environment.
elevation - the height of a point on the Earth's
surface above sea level. The elevation of Mount
Everest is over 26,000 feet.
enclave - a tract or territory enclosed within
another state or country.
endangered species – species of animal or
plant in danger of becoming extinct
environment – surroundings as they affect
living things
equator - an imaginary circle around the Earth
halfway between the North Pole and the South
Pole; it cuts the Earth into two equal parts, the
northern and southern hemispheres.
erosion - is the process by which water, wind
and ice slowly change the shape, size and look of
Earth surface.
erratic - a boulder that has been carried from its
source by a glacier and deposited as the glacier
melted. Thus, the boulder is often of a different
rock type from surrounding types.
estuary - is where a river meets the sea or
ocean.
ethnic group – large group of people with
shared culture.
Eurasia – landmass made up of continents of
Europe and Asia.
extinct – no longer living
federation - a form of government in which
powers and functions are divided between a
central government and a number of political
subdivisions that have a significant degree of
political autonomy.
fjord – a long, narrow inlet of the sea between
tall, rocky cliffs.
ford – a shallow place in a stream where people
and animals can safely cross the river.
forest – a region thickly covered with trees and
underbush.
forestry map - is a map that notes the density,
kind, size, and value of the trees in an area.
fossil fuel – fuel from organic material
underground for millions of years
geographic coordinates - imagine that lines of
latitude and lines of longitude form a grid over
the Earth's surface. A point (coordinate) is
formed by the intersection of a latitude line and
a longitude line. In this way, any location on the
earth can be determined.
geographical coordinate system is a system
that uses latitude and longitude to describe
points on the spherical surface of the globe.
geography - is the study of the Earth's surface.
geologic map - is a map that notes the
structure and composition of geologic features,
like the presence of minerals, rock types,
earthquake faults, underground water, and
landslide areas.
geopolitical map – map showing non-physical
and physical features.
geyser – a naturally hot, or geothermal spring
that shoots water and steam high into the air.
glacier – a great mass of ice slowly sliding down
a mountain slope or through a valley. They are
very slowly moving rivers of ice. Glaciers cover
approximately 10% of the Earth's land surface.
globe - a true-to-scale map of the Earth that
duplicates its round shape and correctly
represents areas, relative size and shape of
physical features, distances, and directions.
gorge - a narrow, steep-sided valley or canyon.
Gorges may or may not have a river at their
bottom.
GPS - is short for global positioning system. GPS
devices tell you your exact longitude and latitude
(it gets the information from orbiting satellites).
grassland – a vast open plain covered with
natural or planted grasses. Tropical grasslands
are called savannas.
Great Circle Route - the shortest distance
between two places on the Earth's surface. The
route follows a line described by the intersection
of the surface with an imaginary plane passing
through the Earth's centre.
greenhouse effect – sun’s energy that is
absorbed by Earth's surface but is prevented
from escaping into the atmosphere by active
gases (carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane,
and other trace gases). This causes a rise in the
Earth's temperature.
grid - a pattern of lines on a chart or map, such
as those representing latitude and longitude,
which helps determine absolute location.
gulf - a part of the ocean (or sea) that is partly
surrounded by land (it is usually larger than a
bay).
heavy industry - manufacturing activities
engaged in the conversion of large volumes of
raw materials and partially processed materials
into products of higher value.
hemisphere - half of the Earth, the division of
the globe into two equal parts, north and south
or east and west. : The northern hemisphere
(north of the equator); the southern hemisphere
(south of the equator); the eastern hemisphere
(east of the prime meridian); the western
hemisphere (west of the prime meridian).
highland – a mountainous or hilly region that
stands above the surrounding landscape.
hill - an elevated rounded point of land that is
lower and smaller than a mountain.
homeland – region or nation of one’s birth
horizon – a distinct layer of soil encountered in
vertical section.
hurricane - a tropical cyclone with sustained
winds of 74 miles per hour or greater in the
North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of
Mexico, and in the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
hydrography - the study of the surface waters
of the Earth.
channel - a narrow body of water that connects
two larger bodies of water (like the English
Channel). A channel is also a part of a river or
harbour that is deep enough to let ships sail
through.
chorograph – map or description of particular
region.
Ice Age - time of widespread glaciation.
ice shelf - is a thick layer of floating ice that is
next to land.
iceberg – a large piece of floating ice that has
broken off from a glacier.
illiteracy – inability to read and write.
immigration – movement of peoples from one
area to another.
infant mortality – percentage of children who
die shortly after birth.
inlets – are very small bays.
international date line - a line of longitude
generally 180 degrees east and west of the
prime meridian. The date is one day earlier to
the east of the line.
island – a piece of land that is smaller than a
continent and completely surrounded by water.
isle – a very small island.
isthmus - a narrow strip of land that separates
two bodies of water or connects two pieces of
land. The Isthmus of Panama separates the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and connects South
and North America. An isthmus has water on two
sides.
jungle – a hot, humid tropical rain forest. Most
of them are located near the equator.
key of a map - (also called the legend) is a
small table accompanying the map that explains
the symbols that are used on the map.
lagoon - a shallow area of water separated from
the ocean by a sandbank or by a strip of low
land. A lagoon does not have waves like an
ocean.
lake – a large inland body of water. Lakes are
bigger than ponds and ponds are bigger than
pools. Really huge lakes are often called seas.
land – solid part of Earth’s surface not covered
by water.
landlocked -having no border on or outlet to
the sea
landmark - is a monument or some prominent
object (like a mountain or lake) that is used to
designate a place and determine one's location.
latitude Imaginary lines that cross the surface
of the Earth parallel to the Equator, measuring
how far north or south of the Equator a place is
located. Zero degree is the location of the
Equator. the South Pole has a latitude of 90
degrees South. One degree of latitude equals
approximately 110 kilometres
legend - a key to what the symbols or pictures
in a map mean.
life expectancy – the number of years and
individual is expected to live
light Industry - manufacturing activities that
use moderate amounts of partially processed
materials to produce items of relatively high
value per unit weight.
longitude - imaginary lines that run from the
North Pole to the South Pole. The lines of
longitude start at the Prime Meridian, in
Greenwich, England. Longitude measures how
far west or east an object is from the Prime
Meridian. Greenwich, England
lowland – a low flat area of land.
mainland – principal landmass of continent or
country.
malnutrition – lack of proper food
map - a picture of a place that is usually drawn
to scale on a flat surface. Map is 2-dimensional
representation of a 3-dimensional world.
map scale - is the ratio between the distance
between two points found on the map as
compared to the actual distance between these
points in the real world.
marsh – a low wetland covered with tall grasses
that is found along rivers, pond, lakes and
coasts.
massif – mountain mass of uniform height
broken into individual peaks.
Mediterranean climate - climate characterized
by moist, mild winters and hot, dry summers.
meridian - is a circular arc (a great circle) of
longitude that meets at the north and south
poles and connects all places of the same
longitude. The prime meridian (0 degrees
longitude) passes through Greenwich, England.
Lines of longitude.
mesa - an isolated, relatively flat-topped natural
elevation, usually more extensive than a butte
and less extensive than a plateau. Mesas usually
occur in dry areas.
meteorology – study of Earth’s atmosphere,
climate and weather.
migration – movement of peoples from their
homeland
minority people – people belonging to
a different ethnic group than most of nation’s
population
minute – one-sixtieth of one degree of latitude
or longitude.
monadnock - an isolated hill or mountain of
resistant rock rising above an eroded lowland.
mountain - a landform that rises 1,000 or more
feet above the land around it.
mountain – upward mass of rock that raises
high above the surrounding land. Mountaintops
are called peaks or summits. A long chain of
mountains is called a range
mountain pass – an opening or gap in a
mountain range that serves as a path or road
across the mountains.
mountain range – a long connected chain of
mountains and hills.
mouth – a place where a stream flows into a
larger body of water. The mouth of a river is the
end of that river.
municipal waste - unwanted by-products of
modern life generated by people living in an
urban area.
nation – group of people sharing a political
system, culture and territory
natural resource – material found on or in
Earth and used by people
North Magnetic Pole - is the point on the
Northern Hemisphere of the Earth toward which
a compass' needle always points; at the North
Magnetic Pole, a compass' needle will stand
vertically. It is now located near in northern
Canada (and its location changes over time).
North Pole - is the point on the Northern
Hemisphere of the Earth that is farthest north. It
is 90° north of the equator. oasis - is a place in
the desert that has water and is fertile.
Northern Hemisphere is the half of the Earth
that is north of the equator.
oasis - a spot in a desert where water comes up
from an underground spring and trees grow.
People travelling through the desert often stop at
an oasis for rest and water.
ocean – the entire body of salt water that
covers nearly three-quarters of the earth’s
surface (the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic or
Antarctic).
ocean ridge – a massive mountain range lying
at the bottom of an ocean or sea.
Oceania – Pacific Ocean islands.
orthographic projection is a type of map in
which is essentially a drawing of (one side of) a
globe. There is a lot of distortion of area in this
type of map, but one gets the idea that the globe
is being represented.
outwash - rocky and sandy surface material
deposited by melt water that flowed from a
glacier.
palisades - a line of bold cliffs.
parallel - (of latitude) is a line on a map that
represents an imaginary east-west circle drawn
on the Earth in a plane parallel to the plane that
contains the equator.
peak - the highest point of a mountain. It is
difficult to climb to the top of Pike's Peak in
Colorado because it is so high.
peninsula - a piece of land extending into the
sea almost surrounded by water. Florida and
Italy are peninsulas.
permafrost - a permanently frozen layer of soil.
physical feature - a land shape formed by
nature. Deserts, mountains, and plateaus are
physical features of Arizona.
physical geography – study of nature and
history of Earth’s surface and atmosphere.
physical map - a map that shows natural
physical features of areas, like mountains, lakes,
and rivers.
physiography - physical geography.
plain are flat lands that have only small changes
in elevation, usually at low elevation with very
few trees.
planimetric map - is a map that represents
only the horizontal positions of features (and not
the vertical positions, like heights, which a
topographic map shows).
plateau – a large highland plain that rises
sharply above the surrounding land.
plates - giant, rigid slabs of the Earth's crust.
The plates "float" on a dense, fluid layer just
under them.
plural society - a situation in which two or
more culture groups occupy the same territory
but maintain their separate cultural identities.
polar zones – the icy cold regions at each pole.
The northern polar zone is the Arctic, the
southern zone is Antarctic.
political map - is a map that shows cultural
features, like the political boundaries of
countries, states, provinces, and cities.
pond - is a small body of water surrounded by
land. A pond is smaller than a lake.
population - the number of people who live in a
place. The population of China is over two billion.
population – total number of people in country
or region.
post-industrial - an economy that gains its
basic
character
from
economic
activities
developed primarily after manufacturing grew to
predominance.
Most
notable
would
be
quaternary economic patterns.
prairie - is a wide, relatively flat area of land
that has grasses and only a few trees.
primary sector - that part of a region's
economy devoted to the extraction of basic
materials (e.g., mining, lumbering, agriculture).
prime meridian - an imaginary line running
from north to south through Greenwich, England,
used to measure longitude. The prime meridian
is at zero degrees longitude. The time at 0° is
called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Universal
Time (UT).
projection - is a representation of one thing
onto another, such as a curved 3-dimensional
surface (like the Earth) onto a flat 2-dimensional
map.
quadrangle is a four-sided area bounded by two
lines (parallels) of latitude and two lines of
longitude (meridians) on a map.
quaternary Sector - that part of a region's
economy devoted to informational and ideagenerating activities (e.g., basic research,
universities and colleges, and news media).
rain forest – tropical rain forest.
range - (or mountain range) A group or chain of
high elevations. The Alps is the name of a
mountain range in Europe.
raw material – materials from nature used for
making goods
reef - a chain of rocks, often coral, lying near
the water surface. Sometimes ships bump into
coral reefs in the ocean.
region An area having some characteristic or
characteristics that distinguish it from other
areas. A territory of interest to people and for
which one or more distinctive traits are used as
the basis for its identity.
relief – elevation differences in land.
relief map - is a topographic map that uses
different colours or shades to indicate elevations.
reservoir - is a man-made lake that stores
water for future use.
resource – any useful element of environment
resource - anything that is both naturally
occurring and of use to humans.
Richter scale - a logarithmic scale for
measuring
the
magnitude
(intensity)
of
earthquakes. Introduced in 1035 by Charles F.
Richter.
river is a large, flowing body of water that
usually empties into a sea or ocean or is flowing
to another stream or to lake.
road map - shows major and minor highways,
plus cities and towns. This type of map is used
by road travellers, and often shows other
information useful for travellers, including parks
and campgrounds.
rotation – spinning of Earth on its axis.
scale of a map - is the ratio between the
distance between two points found on the map
as compared to the actual distance between
these points in the real world.
scarp - also "escarpment." A steep cliff or steep
slope, formed either as a result of faulting or by
the erosion of inclined rock strata.
sea – a large body of salt water that is smaller
than an ocean. Sea and ocean are often used
interchangeably to refer to great bodies of salt
water.
sea level - is height of a sea or ocean.
seamount – an underwater mountain.
secondary sector - that part of a region's
economy devoted to the processing of basic
materials extracted by the primary sector.
sedimentary rock - rock formed by the
hardening of material deposited in some
process; most commonly sandstone, shale, and
limestone.
self-sufficiency – ability to produce all
resources for one’s need
site - features of a place related to the
immediate environment on which the place is
located (e.g., terrain, soil, subsurface, geology,
ground water).
situation - features of a place related to its
location
relative
to
other
places
(e.g.,
accessibility, hinterland quality).
soluble - capable of being dissolved; in this
case, the characteristic of soil minerals that leads
them to be carried away in solution by water
(see Leaching).
sound - is a wide inlet of the sea or ocean that
is parallel to the coastline; it often separates a
coastline from a nearby island.
South Magnetic Pole is the point on the
Southern Hemisphere of the Earth toward which
a compass' needle always points.
South Pole is the point on the Southern
Hemisphere of the Earth that is farthest south. It
is 90° south of the equator.
Southern Hemisphere - is the half of the Earth
that is south of the equator.
spring – opening in the earth where
underground water flows to the surface.
state – geographical and political division of
people.
strait – a narrow waterway that connects two
larger bodies of water. (Strait of Gibraltar)
stream – a body of flowing water. A brook is a
small stream, a creek is medium-sized and a
river is the largest of streams. The sides along
the edges of stream are called banks.
swamp - an area of low land that always has
deep water and is usually overgrown with
grasses and trees. (A marsh is temporarily or
periodically saturated.)
taiga - a moist sub arctic coniferous forest that
begins where the tundra ends and is dominated
by spruces and firs.
temperate – without temperature extremes.
temperate zones – the two moderate regions
that lie north of and south of the tropical zone.
temperature inversion - an increase in
temperature with height above the Earth's
surface, a reversal of the normal pattern.
territory – large track of land under
a government of one nation
tertiary sector - that portion of a region's
economy devoted to service activities (e.g.,
transportation, retail and wholesale operations,
insurance).
Third World – developing nations mainly in
Southern Hemisphere
time zone – one of twenty-four longitudinal
divisions of one hour each that divide Earth.
time-distance - a time measure of how far
apart places are (how long does it take to travel
from place A to place B?). This may be
contrasted with other distance metrics such as
geographic distance (how far is it?) and costdistance (how much will it cost to get there?).
topography - the physical features of a place;
or the study and depiction of physical features,
including terrain relief.
topographic map - is a map that represents
elevations on it using contour lines.
tributary - is a stream or river that flows into a
larger river.
Tropic of Cancer - a latitude line that lies a
quarter of the way from the equator to the North
Pole. During the summer solstice, the sun is
directly overhead. (line of latitude at 23°30' N)
Tropic of Capricorn - latitude line that lies a
quarter of the way from the equator to the South
Pole. During the winter solstice, the sun is
directly overhead. (line of latitude at 23°30' S)
tropical zone – the hot, steamy region that is
just north and south of the equator.
tropics – warm area of Earth closest to the
equator, between tropic of Cancer and tropic of
Capricorn characterized by the absence of a cold
season.
tundra - a treeless plain characteristic of the
arctic and sub arctic regions.
under population - economically, a situation in
which an increase in the size of the labour force
will result in an increase in per worker
productivity.
valley – a gently sloping depression between
hills or mountains. A stream flows along the floor
of many valleys.
volcano – a mountainous opening or vent in the
earth’s crust which ashes, hot gases and lava
erupt from deep inside the Earth.
waterfall – a stream that flows over the edge of
a cliff. There are two types – cataract – a large
waterfall, cascade – a small splashing waterfall in
a series of steps.
weather map - is a map that shows weather
conditions for a time period. Weather maps show
storms, fronts, temperatures, rain, snow, sleet,
fog, etc.
Western Hemisphere - is another name for the
Americas (or the New World).
wetland - is an area of land that is often wet;
the soil in wetlands is often low in oxygen.
Wetland plants are adapted to life in wet soil.
There are many types of wetlands, including:
swamp, slough, bog, marsh, and moor.