Download Illustrated Glossary of Geography Terms word definition picture

Illustrated Glossary of Geography
Terms
word
absolute
location
definition
exact location of a place on the earth,
described by global coordinates
archipelago
a group of small islands
atlas
a book of maps
bay
a part of the sea that is partly enclosed by a
curve in the land, generally smaller than a gulf
cave
a large natural hole in the side of a cliff or hill,
or under the ground
canyon
a deep valley with very steep sides of rock that
usually has a river running through it
canal
a long passage dug into the ground and filled
with water, either for boats to travel along, or
to take water to a place
picture
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channel
an wide strait or waterway that connects two
larger areas of water; the deepest part of a
river, harbor, or sea, especially where it is
deep enough to allow ships to sail in
cliff
a large area of rock or a mountain with a very
steep side, often at the edge of the sea or a
river
continents
the seven large land masses on the earth
crater
a round hole in the ground made by
something that has fallen on it or by an
explosion; the round open top of a volcano
dam
a special wall built across a river or stream to
stop the water from flowing, especially in
order to make a lake or reservoir or to
produce electricity
delta
flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried
downstream by a river and deposited at its
mouth
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desert
a large region of land where it is always very
hot and dry, and there is a lot of sand
downstream
in the direction that the water in a river or
stream is flowing
elevation
the height of a place above the level of the sea
Equator
an imaginary line drawn around the middle of
the Earth that is exactly the same distance
from the North Pole and the South Pole
forest
a large region of land that is covered with
trees
glacier
a large mass of ice which moves slowly down a
mountain valley
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grasslands
a large region of land covered with wild grass
(also: prairie)
gulf
a large area of sea partly enclosed by land,
generally larger and more deeply indented
than a bay
harbor
an area of water next to the land where the
water is calm, so that ships are safe when they
are inside it, usually refers to a man-made
structure
hill
an area of land that is higher than the land
around it, with sloping sides and rounded top,
generally smaller than a mountain
island
piece of land, smaller than a continent, that is
completely surrounded by water
lake
a large area of fresh water surrounded by land
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latitude
the distance north or south of the Equator,
measured in degrees
longitude
the distance east or west of the Prime
Meridian, measured in degrees
map
a drawing of a particular area, for example a
city or country, which shows its main features,
such as its roads, rivers, mountains, etc.
mesa
a hill with a flat top and steep sides, in the
southwestern US, said to look like a table,
smaller than a plateau
(mesa = table, in Spanish)
mountain
land with steep sides that rise sharply (1,000
feet or more) from surrounding land;
generally larger and more rough than a hill
mountain peak the top of a mountain
mountain
range
a group of mountains, usually in a line
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mouth
(of a river)
the part of a river where it joins the sea
ocean
one of the four major areas of salt water on
the Earth's surface that surround the
continents
peninsula
a body of land that is surrounded by water on
three sides
physical
feature
plains
a natural part of the land; landforms & bodies
of water
a large region of flat dry land, usually a low
elevation and often covered with grasses
plateau
a large area of flat land that is higher than the
land around it
port
a place where ships can be loaded and
unloaded
Prime
Meridian
the imaginary line drawn from north to south
on the earth, from which east and west are
measured in degrees on a map
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relative
location
where a particular place is, in relation to other
areas, buildings, etc.
relief (map)
if you show a part of the Earth's surface in
relief, you show the differences in height
between different parts of it (elevation)
river
a large, flowing body of water that usually
empties into a sea or ocean
river bank
the land next to a river
sea
a large body of salty water that is completely
or partly surrounded by land
shore
the land along the edge of a large area of
water such as an ocean or lake
source
(of a river)
the place where a stream or river starts
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strait
a narrow body of water that connects two
larger bodies of water, generally more narrow
than a channel
stream
a natural flow of water that moves across the
land and is narrower than a river
upstream
along a river, in the opposite direction from
the way the water is flowing
valley
an area of lower land between two lines of
hills or mountains, usually with a river flowing
through it
volcano
a mountainous vent in the Earth's crust
When a volcano erupts, it spews out lava,
ashes, and hot gases from deep inside the
Earth.
waterfall
a place where water from a river or stream
falls down over a cliff or rock
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