Important Geography Terms for High School Students
(terms taken from About.Com)
absolute location
- A point on the earth's surface expressed by a coordinate system such as
latitude and longitude
aquifer
- An underground reservoir of water which can be extracted for surface use
archipelago
- A chain or set of islands grouped together
atoll
- A circular coral reef that encloses a shallow lagoon
biosphere
The plant and animal life on the
earth
caldera
- A bowl-shaped circular depression caused by the destruction of the peak of
a volcano. Crater Lake, Oregon is a caldera and not a crater
cartogram
- A "map" that is a diagram used to present statistical information. A
common cartogram shows the countries of the world with the size of the country
representing its population.
cartography
- The art and science of making maps
census
- An investigation or count of a population
climate
- The long term trends in weather conditions for an area
colonialism
- The system by which one country controls and dominates a subordinate
territory politically and economically.
continental drift
- The current theory that the continents of the earth move across the earth
on giant tectonic plates
continental shelf
- The extension of the continents into the ocean; continental shelf land
would be exposed if sea level dropped
contour map
- A map which shows points of equal elevation as a line
culture
- The belief systems, attitudes, languages, social relationships,
institutions, and material goods transmitted within a society
cultural geography
- The branch of geography dealing with human culture and its impact on the
earth
demography
- The study of population statistics and trends, such as births, deaths,
and disease
density
- The number of items per unit area, such as persons per square kilometer
desert
- An area with little precipitation or where evaporation exceeds
precipitation, and thus includes sparse vegetation.
diffusion
- The spread of ideas, disease, technology, etc. among places
ecology
- The study of the interrelationships between life forms and their
environment
El Niņo
Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
- A periodic warming of the ocean waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean
which affects global weather patterns
epicenter
- The point on the earth's surface directly above the hypocenter, where
the energy of an earthquake is first released.
equator
- Zero degrees latitude, divides the earth into the Northern and Southern
hemispheres
equinox
- The beginning of autumn and spring, the two days each year when the sun
is directly overhead at the equator
erosion
- Forces that shape the earth's surface. Includes water, wind, and ice
estuary
- The wide end of a river when it meets the sea; salty tidal water mixes
with the fresh water of the river here
fault
- A fracture in rock where there has been movement and displacement
fauna
- Animal life
first
world
- An outdated term that refers to the developed countries of the world
fjord
- A coastal valley which was sculpted by glacial action
floodplain
- A flat, low-lying area near a river or stream which is subject to flooding
flora
- Plant life
geography
- Literally, writing about the earth, Greek. The study of the earth's
physical and human features. See
"What is
Geography?" and
"Definitions of
Geography" on this site
geologic time
- The calendar of the earth's history since its birth 4.6 billion years ago;
geologic time is divided into eras, epochs, and periods
geology
- Science of the earth's crust, strata, origin of rocks, etc.
glacier
- A large mass of ice thad moves over the land, carving and eroding surfaces
as it moves
global positioning
system (GPS)
- A system of satellites and ground units which enable a user to determine
their absolute location
global warming
- The theory that temperature of the atmosphere an increasing due to the
increase in gasses such as carbon dioxide
globe
- A spherical model of the earth's surface that includes a map of the earth;
also known as a terrestrial globe
greenhouse effect
- The analogy used to describe the ability of gasses in the atmosphere to
absorb heat from the earth's surface
hemisphere
- Half of the earth's surface. There are four hemispheres, Northern and
Southern (divided by the equator) and the Eastern and Western (divided by the
Prime Meridian and 180°)
humidity
- The amount of water vapor in the air
hurricane
- A tropical story that contains winds of at least 74 miles per hour
(119km/h). Also known as a cyclone in the northern Indian Ocean and a typhoon
in the western Pacific Ocean.
hydrologic
cycle
- The circulation of water between the atmosphere, streams and land, the
ocean, and back to the atmosphere.
hydrosphere
- The water of the earth
International
Date Line
- An imaginary line near 180° longitude that exists to separate the two
simultaneous days that exist on the planet that the same time
jet stream
- The high-altitude high-speed air current in the tropopause
La Niņa
- A periodic cooling of the ocean waters in the Pacific Ocean which
affects global weather patterns
lagoon
- A small, shallow body of water between a barrier island or a coral reef
and the mainland, also a small body of water surrounded by an atoll
latitude
- Angular degrees based on the equator; the equator is 0° latitude and the
North Pole is 90° North while the South Pole is 90° south
lava
- Magma that reaches the earth's surface through a volcanic vent or
fissure
lingua franca
- The language used by a population as their common language
llithosphere
- The soil and rock layer of the earth.
longitude
- Angular degrees based on the Prime Merdidian (0°) at Greenwich, London;
degrees are east or west of Greenwich and meet in the Pacific Ocean at 180°
magma
- Molten rock that lies beneath the surface of the earth; once exposed,
magma becomes lava
map
- A graphic representation of the earth's surface
map
projection
- A mathematical formula which assists in representing the curved surface of
the earth onto the flat surface of a map
map scale
- The relationship between distance on a map and the distance on the earth's
surface
megalopolis
- Several adjacent metropolitan areas with form a huge urban area.
Conurbation
meridian
- A line of longitude
mesa
- A large flat-topped but steep-sided landform; they shrink to become buttes
meteorology
- The scientific study of the atmosphere
monsoon
- A wind system in Southeast Asia which changes direction seasonally,
creating wet and dry seasons
morphology
- The shape of a state or nation
nation
- A culturally homogeneous group of people which share a common language,
institutions, religion, and historical experience.
occidental
- Western
oriental
- Eastern
Pangea
- A huge landmass consisting of almost all the continental land on the earth
which then divided and slowly became the continents we know today
parallel
- A line of latitude
permafrost
- Permanently frozen water in soil
physical geography
- The branch of geography dealing with the natural features of the earth
plate tectonics
- The surface of the earth is composed of many large plates which slowly
move around the planet, meeting and diverging, creating a variety of
earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains at their margins
precipitation
- Any form of water that falls from the atmosphere to the surface of the
earth (e.g. rain, snow, sleet, and hail)
primate city
- A city which is greater than two times the next largest city in a nation
(or contains over one-third of a nation's population). Usually very expressive
of the national culture and often the capital city.
prime meridian
- Zero degrees longitude. Also known as the Greenwich meridian because it
was established at the Greenwich observatory near London
region
- An area which is marked common characteristics
relative location
- A location of a place in relation to another place (i.e. south or
downhill)
scale
- The relationship between distance on a map and on the earth's surface
second world
- An outdated term that referred to the countries allied with the former
Soviet Union
sustainable development
- Development that does not exploit resources more rapidly than the renewal
of those resources.
third world
- An outdated term that refers to the less developed or developing countries
of the world
topographic map
- A detailed, large scale contour map showing human and physical features
urban
- The built-up, non-rural area in a region
weather
- The short term atmospheric conditions. See climate
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