Fall 2006 Geo final
Terms
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- geography
- the study of the distribution and interaction of physical and human features on the earth
- absolute location
- the exact place on earth where a geographic feature, such as a city, is found
- relative location
- describes a place in comparison to other places around it
- hemishphere
- each half of the globe
- equator
- the imaginary line that dicides the north and south halves
- prime meridian
- the imaginary line dividing the earth east and west
- latitude
- imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator
- longitude
- imaginary lines that go around the earth over the poles
- globe
- three-dimensional representation of the earth
- marp
- two-dimensional graphic representations of selected parts of the earth's surface
- catographer
- a mapmaker
- map projection
- a way of drawing earth's surface by presenting a round Earth on flat paper
- topographic map
- representation of natural and man-made features on the earth
- Landsat
- actually a series of saltellites that orbit more than 100 miles above earth
- Systems (GIS)"
- stores information about the world in a digital database
- continent
- landmasses above water or earth, fit together like a huge jigsaw puzzle
- solar system
- consists of the sun and nine known planets, as well as other celestial bodies that orbit the sun
- core
- the center of the earth and is made up of iron and nickel
- mantle
- surrounds the core, and has several layers
- magma
- molten rock, can form in the mantle and rise through the crust
- crust
- thin layer of rock at the earth's surface
- atmosphere
- surrounds the earth with a layer of gases
- lithosphere
- includes the crust and uppermost mantle
- hydrosphere
- made up of the water elements on the earth
- biosphere
- the part of the earth where plants and animals live
- continental drift
- the theory created by Alfred Wegener in 1912 that explans why the crusts all fit together perfectly
- hydrologic cycle
- the continous circulation of water betweent he atmosphere, the oceans, and the earth
- drainage basin
- an area drained by a major river and its tributaries
- ground water
- the water held in pores of rock
- water table
- can rise or fall depending on the amount of precipitation in the region
- landform
- naturally formed features on the surface of the earth
- continental shelf
- the edge of a continent to the deep part of the ocean
- relief
- the difference in elevation of a landform from its lowest point to its highest point
- topography
- the combination of the surgace shape and composition of the landforms and their distribution in a region
- tectonic plate
- enormous moving pieces of the earth's lithosphere
- fault
- fractures in the earth's crust
- earthquake
- violent movement of the earth
- seismograph
- a special device can detect earthquakes
- epicenter
- the point directly above the focus on the earth's surface is the epicenter
- Richter scale
- uses information collected by a seismograph to determine the relative strengh of an earthquake
- tsunami
- caused by an earthquake; a giant wave in the ocean
- volcano
- where materials pour out of a crack in the earth's surface
- lava
- mama that has reached the earth's surface
- ring of fire
- a zone around the trim of the Pacific Ocean
- weathering
- refers to physical and chemical processes that change the characteristics of rock on or near the earth's surface
- sediment
- small pieces of rock
- mechanical weathering
- procedsses that break rock into smaller pieces
- chemical weathering
- "occurs when rock is changed into a new substance as a result of interaction between the elements in air or water and the
- erosion
- occurs when weathered material is moved by the action of wind, water, ice, or gravity
- delta
- fan-like landform created by deposited sediment
- loess
- wind blown silt and clay
- glacier
- a large, long-lasting mass of ice that moves because of gravity
- glaciation
- changing of landforms by slowly moving glaciers
- moraine
- rocks left behind by a glacier may forma ridge or a hill
- humus
- the amount of organic material in the soil
- solstice
- the day when the sun's rays shine diretly overhead at noon
- equinox
- the days and nights all over the world are equal in length
- weather
- the condition of the atmosphere at a particular location and time
- climate
- the term for weather conditions at a particular location over a long period of time
- precipitation
- falling water droplets in the form of rain, sleet, snow, or hail
- rain shadow
- the land on the leeward side
- hurricane
- storms that form over warm, tropical ocean waters
- typhoon
- hurricanes in asia
- tornado
- a powerful funnelshaped column of spiraling air
- blizzard
- a heavy snowstorm with winds of more than 35 miles per hour and reduced visibility
- drought
- a long period of time without rain or with very minimal rainfall
- convection
- the transfer of heat in the atmosphere by upward motino of the air
- El Nino
- a natural change in the climate
- greenhouse effect
- the layer of gases released by the burning of coal and pretroleum traps some solar energy
- tundra
- the flat, treeless lands forming a ring around the Arctic Ocean
- permafrost
- permanently frozen ground
- ecosystem
- an interdependent community of plants and animals
- biome
- the ecosystem of a region
- deciduous
- forest regions with trees which have broadleaf trees
- rain forest
- dense forests made up of different species of trees
- coniferous
- needleleaf trees are found here
- savanna
- the flat, grassy mostly treless plains
- steppe
- praries in the temperate grasslands
- culture
- the total knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors shared by and passed on by the members of a specific group
- society
- a group that shares a geographic region, a sense of identy, and a culture
- ethnic group
- used to refer to a specific group that shares a language, custons, and a common heritage
- innovation
- taking existing technology and resources and creating something new to meet a need
- diffusion
- spread of ideas, inventions, or patterns of behavior
- cultural hearth
- a place from which important ideas spread
- acculturation
- occurs when a societ changes because it accepts or adopts an innovation
- dialect
- versions of a language
- religion
- consists of a belief ina supernatural power or powers that are regarded as the creators and maintainers of the universe
- birthrate
- the number of live births per thousand population
- fertility rate
- shows the average number of children a women of childbearing years would have in their lifetime
- mortality rate
- the number of deaths per thousand people
- infant mortality rate
- shows the number of deaths among infants under age one per thousand live births
- rate of natural increase
- the difference between the birthrate and mortality rate
- population pyramid
- a graphic device that shows sex and age distribution of a population
- push-pull factors
- reasons for migrating
- population density
- to undertand how heavily populated an area is, geographers use a figure called population density
- carrying capacity
- the number of organisms a piece of land can support
- state
- describes an independent unit that occupies a specific territory and has full control of its internal and external affairs
- nation
- refers to a group of people with a common culture living in a territory and having a strong sense of unity
- nation-state
- a nation and a state occupy the same territory
- democracy
- citizens hold political power, either directly or through representatives
- monarchy
- a ruling family headed by a king or queen holds political power and may or may not share the power with citizen bodies
- dictatorship
- an individual or group holds complete political power
- commmunism
- "in this government and economic system, nearly all political power and means of production are held by the government in the
- landlocked
- a country surrounded by other land and with no direct outlet to the sea
- urban geography
- the study of how people use space in cities
- city
- they are centers of business and culture
- suburb
- surrounds cities
- metroplitan area
- the city, its suburbs, and exurbs link together
- urbanization
- the dramatic rise in the number of cities and the changes in lifestyle that result
- central business district (CBD)
- the core of a city is almost always based on commercial activity
- economy
- consists of the production and exchange of goods and services among a group of people
- economic system
- the way people produce and exchange goods and services
- command economy
- "production of goods and services is determined by a central governmnent, which usually owns the means of production.
- market economy
- production of goods and services is determined by the demand of the consumers.
- natural resources
- materials on or in the earth
- infrastructure
- includes things such as swers, transportation, electricity, and housing
- per capita income
- the average amount of money earned by each person in a political unit
- GNP
- gross antional product, the total value of all goods and serviceds producced by a country over a year or some other specified period of time
- GDP
- gross domestic product, all the total value of all goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time
- appalachian mountains
- one of the two major mountain chains in the United States and Canada
- great plains
- largely treeless area that continues the ascent to about 4,000 feet
- canadian shield
- rocky, mainly flat area covers nearly 2 milion square miles around Hudson Bay
- rocky mountains
- the other major mountain system of the United States and Canada
- great lakes
- Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior
- mackenzie river
- Canada's longest River
- prevailing westerlies
- winds that blow from west to east in the middle of the latitudes
- everglades
- a huge swampland that covers some 4,000 square miles
- nomad
- people who move from place to place
- Beringia
- a land bridge that once connected Siberia and Alaska
- St. Lawrence Seaway
- North America's most important deepwater ship route
- lock
- sections of waterway with closed gates where water levels are raised or lowered
- migration
- movement of peoples within the United States
- Columbian Exchange
- the coming of the Europeans
- Louisiana Purchase
- the vast plains region between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains
- frontier
- the free, open land
- representative democracy
- where the people rule through elected representatives
- export
- which are goods sold to another country
- free enterprise
- "in this economic system, private individuals own most of the resources, technology, and businesses, and can operate them for
- service industry
- any kind of economic activity that produces a service rather than a product
- postindustrial industry
- one where manufacturing no longer plays a dominant role
- multinational
- where corporations engage in business worldwide
- New England
- the northern area where six states inhabit
- megalopolis
- a region in which several large cities and surrounding areas grow together
- the Midwest
- contains 12 states in the north-central United States
- the South
- covers one fourth of the land area of the United Statesk
- metropolitan area
- large cities and nearby suburbs and towns
- the West
- far flung subregion sonsisting of 13 states
- province
- political units touching the borders of the central city or touching other suburbs that touch the city
- Dominion of Canada
- was created in 1867
- confederation
- a political union
- parliamentary government
- a system in which legislative and executive functions are combined in a legislature caleld a parliament
- prime minister
- head of a government
- First Nations
- started trading with Suropean fisherman along the northern Atlantic coast
- metis
- people of mixed French and native heritage
- reserves
- public land set aside for a certain kind of people
- terrorist
- "the unlawful use of, or threated use of, force or violence against individuals or property for the purpose of intimidating or causing
- global network
- worldwide interconnected grouop
- coalition
- an alliance of nations to fight the war on terror
- biological weapon
- refer to bacteria and virus that can be used to harm or kill people, animals, or plants
- urban sprawl
- poorly planned development
- smart growth
- the efficient use and conservation of land and other resources
- sustainable community
- communites where residents could live and work
- Andes Mountains
- In the South American Continent
- llanos
- vast grassy, greeless areas used for livestock and grazing
- cerrado
- savannas with flag terrain and moderate rainfall that make them suitable for farming
- pampas
- areas of grasslands and rich soil
- Orinoco River
- winds through the northern part of South America, mainly in Venezuela
- Amazon River
- flows about 4,000 miles from east to west emptying in the Atlantic Ocean
- Parana River
- originates in the highlands of Southern Brazil
- slash-and-burn
- technique used by the natives to clear land for farming
- terraced farming
- an ancient technique for growing crops on hillsides or mountain slopes
- push factors
- factors that "push" people to leave rural areas
- pull factors
- factors that "pull" people to urban areas
- Spanish conquest
- Hernando Cortes conquered a lot of area
- Tenochitlan
- the great Aztec city, now the sitye of Mexico City
- Part (PRI)"
- helped to introduce democracy and maintain political stability for much of the 20th century
- mestizo
- people of mixed Spanish and Native American heritage
- maquiladoras
- factories in Mexico that assemble importated materials into finished products that are then exported mostly to the United States
- NAFTA
- North American Free Trade Agreement
- America"
- the whold region declared its independence from Mexico
- Panama Canal
- cuts through the land bridge and connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
- calypso
- music begane in Trinidad
- raggae
- developed in Jamaica in the 1960s
- informal economy
- takes place outside official channels, without benefits or protection for workers
- Inca
- descendants of people who came across a land bridge from Siberia to Alaska and eventually crossed the Isthmus of Panama
- Quechua
- language of the Inca
- Treaty of Tordesillas
- Portugal gained control over the land that became present-day Brazil
- Carnival
- people in costumes ride on floats through the streets in Rio de Janeiro
- samba
- a Brazilian dance with African influences
- capoeira
- a martial art and dance that developed in Brazil from African origins
- biodiversity
- its wide range of plant and animal species
- deforestation
- cutting down and clearing away trees
- global warming
- prevents heat from escaping into space
- deby-for-nature swap
- government tries to presrve the rain forests
- oligarchy
- not democratic
- junta
- run by the gernals
- caudillo
- a military dictator or political boss is in control
- land reform
- the process of breaking up large landholdings and giving portions of the land to land-poor peasant farmers
- fjord
- U-shaped valleyes that connect to the sea
- uplands
- hills or very low mountains
- meseta
- other uplands border mountainous areas
- mistral
- cold, dry wind from the north
- polder
- Land that is reclaimd by draining
- terpen
- seaworkds that include the high earthern platforms
- ljsselmeer
- the fresh water lake that is left behind
- Crusades
- a series of wars to take Palestine from the Muslims
- Belelux
- influened y Germany and France
- feudalism
- political system in which powerful lords owned most of the land
- nationalism
- belief that people should be loyal to their nation
- Nordic countries
- Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway,m and Sweden
- Silicon Glen
- the section of Scotland btween Glasgow and Edinburgh
- balkanization
- the term refers to the process of a region breaking up into small, mutually hostile units
- satellite nation
- nations dominated by another country
- anti-Semitism
- discrimniation against Jewish people
- Slobodan Milosevic
- tried to inrease Serbia's power over the rest of yugoslavia
- KLA
- began to carry out attacks against Serbian Officials (Kosovo Liberation Army)
- cyanide
- a deadly poison flowed into the Tisza River in Hungary