African Physical Geography Vocab Flashcards
Agriculture
The art and science of cultivating land for growing crops (farming) or raising livestock (ranching).
Ancient
Very old.
Aquatic
Having to do with water.
Arid
Dry.
Barrier Island
Long, narrow strip of sandy land, built up by waves and tides that protects the mainland shore from erosion.
Basin
A dip or depression in the surface of the land or ocean floor.
Bedrock
Solid rock beneath the Earth’s soil and sand.
Cattle
Cows and oxen.
Coast
Edge of land along the sea or other large bodies of water.
Conserve
To save or to use wisely.
Consume
To use up.
Continent
One of the seven main land masses on Earth.
Coral reef
Rocky ocean features made up of millions of coral skeletons.
Craggy
Rugged or rocky.
Craton
Old, stable part of continental crust, made up of shields and platforms.
Cultivate
To prepare and nurture the land for crops.
Deforestation
Destruction or removal of forests and their undergrowth.
Delta
The flat, low-laying plain that sometimes forms at the mouth of a river from deposits of sediments.
Desert
Area of land that receives no more than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of precipitation each year.
Desertification
Rapid depletion of plant life and topsoil, often associated with drought and human activity.
Development
Construction or preparation of land for housing, industry, or agriculture.
Diverse
Varied or having many different types.
Dome
Shape that is half of a sphere.
Dromedary Camel
Large pack animal with one hump, native to Northern Africa and the Middle East.
Drought
Period of time with greatly reduced precipitation.
Emblematic
Symbolic or representative.
Endanger
To put at risk.
Enviroment
Conditions that surround and influence an organism or community.
Equator
Imaginary line around the Earth, another planet, or star running east-west, 0 degrees latitude.
Erg
Vast area covered with sand dunes.
Estinction
Process of complete disappearance of a species on the planet Earth.
Fertile
Able to produce crops or sustain agriculture.
Flora
Plants associated with an area or time period.
Fodder
Food for livestock consisting of whole plants.
Forestry
Management, cultivation, and harvesting of trees and other vegetation in forests.
Game reserve
Area of land fulled with wildlife and preserved for hunting or tourism.
Geologic
Having to do with the physical formation of the Earth.
Grassland
Ecosystem with large, flat areas of grasses.
Gravel
Small stones or pebbles.
Hamada
Desert landscape with rocky plateaus and little soil, sand, or vegetation.
Herd
Group of animals.
Human geography
The study of the way human communities and systems interact with their environment.
Industrial
Having to do with factories or mechanical production.
Invasive species
Type of plant or animal that is not indigenous to a particular area and causes economic or environmental harm.
Irrigation
Watering land, usually for agriculture, by artificial means.
Kidney
Organ that removes the waste products from blood and helps regulate general health.
Lake
Body of water surrounded by land.
Landscape
The geographic features of a region.
Magma
Molten, or partially melted, rock beneath the Earth’s surface.
Mangrove
Type of tree or shrub with long, thick roots that grows in salty waters.
Mantle
Middle layer of the Earth, made of mostly solid rock.
Migration
Movement of a group of people or animals from one place to another.
Nimble
Swift and agile.
Nutrient
Substance an organism needs for energy, growth, and life.
Oasis
Area made fertile by a source of fresh water in an otherwise arid region.
Physical geography
Study of the natural features and processes of the Earth.
Plain
Flat, smooth area at a low elevation.
Plateau
Large region that is higher than the surrounding area and relatively flat.
Predator
Animal that hunts other animals for food.
Prehistoric
Period of time that occurred before the invention of written records.
Prey
Animal that is hunted and eaten by other animals.
Primate
Type of mammal, including humans, apes, and monkeys.
Primitive
Simple or crude.
Rainforest
Area of tall, mostly evergreen trees and a high amount of rainfall.
Reg
Hard plains of sand, gravel, and rock. Also called desert pavement.
Resource
Available supple of material, goods, or services. Resources can be natural or human.
Root system
All of a plant’s roots.
Sahel
Transition zone in northern Africa between the Sahara Desert in the north and the savanna ecosystems in the South.
Salt
(Sodium chloride, NaCl) Crystalline mineral often used as a seasoning or a preservative for food.
Sand dune
Mound of sand created by the wind.
Savanna
Type of tropical grassland with scattered trees.
Scavenge
To feed on dead or decaying material.
Snout
Protruding nose and jaw of an animal such as a pig.
Soil
Top layer of the Earth’s surface where plant can grow.
Source
Beginning of a steam, river, or other flow of water.
Spring
Small flow of water flowing naturally from an underground water source.
Terestrial
Having to do with the Earth or dry land.
Toxic
Poisonous.
Transition zone
Area between two natural or artificial regions.
Vegetation
All the plant life of a specific place.
Watering hole
Small pond or spring where animals travel to drink.
