Social Studies Vocabulary Chapter 1
Terms
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- Half of a sphere, such as a ball or a globe; a half of Earth
- hemisphere
- An imaginary line that divides the Earth in the North Pole and South Pole. the line divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
- equator
- An imaginary line that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western hemispheres.
- prime meridian
- One of the seven largest land areas on Earth.
- continent
- The position of a place in relation to other places on Earth.
- relative location
- A part of an ocean or sea extending into the land.
- gulf
- A narrow channel that connects two larger bodies of water.
- straight
- A narrow piece of land that connects two larger land areas.
- isthmus
- A family member from long ago.
- ancestor
- An exact position on Earth's surface.
- absolute location
- The set of imaginary lines on a globe or map that run east and west. they are used to tell how far north and south of the equator a place is.
- lines of lattitude
- Lines that are always the same distance apart, such as lines of latitude.
- parallels
- The set of imaginary lines on a globe or map that run north and south. They are used to tell how far east or west of the prime meridian a place is.
- lines of longitude
- A line of longitude
- meridian
- One of the shapes that make up the Earth's surface, such as mountains, hills or plains.
- landform
- A group of connected mountains.
- mountain range
- The level of the surface of the ocean.
- sea level
- An area at or near the foot of mountain
- piedmont
- An area of high, mostly flat land that rises about the surrounding land.
- plateau
- Low land that lies along an ocean or other large body of water.
- coastal plain
- Land almost entirely surrounded by water.
- peninsula
- Low, bowl-shaped land with higher ground all around it.
- basin
- A deep, narrow valley with steep sides.
- canyon
- The height of the land in relation to sea level.
- elevation
- Difference in elevation
- relief
- Water beneath Earth's surface.
- groundwater
- The place where a river begins.
- source
- The deepest part of a river or other body of water.
- channel
- The place where a river empties into a larger body of water.
- mouth
- A stream or river that flows into a larger stream or river.
- tributary
- A river and its tributaries.
- river system
- The land drained by a river system.
- drainage basin
- The gradual wearing away of Earth's surface.
- erosion
- The triangle-shaped land at a river's mouth.
- delta
- Any form of water, such as rain, sleet, or snow, that falls to Earth's surface.
- precipitation
- The kind of weather a place has over a long time.
- climate
- The amound of moisture in the air.
- humidity
- A funnel-shaped, spinning windstorm, sometimes called a cyclone or twister.
- tornado
- A huge tropical storm with heavy rains and winds of a least 74 miles per hour.
- hurricane
- A long period of little or no rain.
- drought
- Something found in nature that people can use.
- natural resource
- Somthing that people make or grow, usually to sell.
- product
- Not abundant
- scarce
- A natural substance found in rocks.
- mineral
- A natural resource, such as coal, oil, or natural gas, burned to make heat or energy.
- fuel
- The protection of natural resources and the using of them wisely.
- conservation
- Able to be made or grown again by nature or people.
- renewable
- To use again.
- recycle
- Not able to be made or grown again quickly by nature or by people.
- nonrenewable
- The act of making a natural resource, such as air, soil or water, dirty or unsafe to use.
- pollution
- To put into groups.
- classify
- The low, flat land along a river.
- floodplain