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world geo

chapter 1 vocabulary

1. Geography The study of the earths 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 earths surface in order to solve geographic problems.
3. Absolute Location The position on the earth in which a place ccan be found.
4. Hemishere A half of the earth; The equator divides the Northern and Southern Hemispheres; The Prime Meridian divides the Eastern and Western Hemisphere.
5. Relative Location The position of a place in relation to another place.
6. Character of a place The physical and the 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 Regions A group of places that have similar attributes, for example, a political region.
9. Functional Regions A group of places connected by movement, for example, the region drained by the Amazon River and its tributes.
10. Perceptual Regions A group of places that is defined by peoples feelings and attitudes.
11.Core The earths 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 earths crust that surrounds the earths core.
13. Crust The solid, rocky, surface layer of the earth.
14. Lithosphere The surface feature of the earth, including soil, rocks, and landforms.
15. Atmosphere 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 earths land and waters.
18. Continent Any of the seven large landmasses of the earths surface.
19.Relief The differences in elevation, or height, of the landforms in any particular area.
20. Plate tectonics The theory that the earths 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 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 consenration of chemicals, usually from industrial pollution, pollutes water, kills plant and animal life, and eats away at the surface of stone and rock.
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 ridge like mass of rock gravel, sand, and clay carried and deposited by a glacier.
Created by: jenniferbarron










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