Ch 2: Cold Lands of North Flashcards
What are glaciers?
Large masses of ice that flow slowly over land
What is another name for the northern lights?
Aurora borealis
From where do most of the Northern Hemisphere’s icebergs originate?
western Greenland
Why is the fur seal an important animal to people of the Arctic?
It is used for food, clothing, light and heat
Why is the tundra called “The Land of the Midnight Sun”?
There are days during the summer when the sun never sets
What is the name used for permanently frozen ground?
Permafrost
What are the people of northern Alaska called?
Eskimos
What are the people of Greenland and northern Canada called?
Inuits
How did people travel over snow and ice?
Dog sleds
What kinds of boats did Inuits/Eskimos use?
Kayaks and umiaks, which were boats made of skins stretched over a frame
Why have many Eskimos moved into towns and villages?
There are not enough animals for them to hunt
Who was the famous missionary who went to the Canadian Inuits and their neighbors?
Sir Wilfred Grenfell
What two terms are used for the vast forest that covers much of northern Canada and Alaska?
Boreal forest, taiga
How did the Indians use the paper birch?
They used the papery bark for canoes and baskets and as a substitute for paper
Which animal has done the most to shape the landscape of North America?
the beaver
Name five American Indian tribes of the Far North.
Cree, Ottawa, Yellowknife, Beaver, Ojibwa
How did the children of the people of the Far North learn how to survive?
Their parents taught them what they needed to know
What do we call the area between the North Pole and the northern timberline of Europe, North America and Asia?
Arctic
What is the smallest and coldest ocean?
Arctic Ocean
What is the world’s largest island, and the main source of icebergs in the Northern Hemisphere?
Greenland
What is the treeless Arctic plains north of the timberline?
Tundra
What is a kayak?
A one-man boat constructed of seal skin stretched over a frame
What is a harpoon?
A spearlike weapon made of wood or bone with a barbed head used for hunting
What is the taiga?
Northern woods south of the tundra
What is pemmican?
A mixture of dried meat pounded together with fat and berries
What is a piece of a glacier that has broken off into the sea?
Iceberg
What is the thick layer of fat found on fur seals?
Blubber
What are long, hooded jackets made of fur?
Parkas
What are cone-bearing trees called?
Conifers
What are tree called that keep their leaves all year long?
Evergreens
What are the most numerous and varied trees in the world?
Broadleaf
What are trees called that lose their leaves in autumn?
Deciduous
Who was the Viking who founded the first European settlement in Greenland?
Erik the Red
Which sea bird migrates farther than any other bird?
Arctic tern
What is another term for North American reindeer?
Caribou
What are lemmings?
Little rodents that look like fat, round mice
What is North America’s largest rodent?
the beaver
What bird of prey is also called the “king of the birds”?
Golden eagle
What bird is known as the “white-headed” bird?
Bald eagle
What is the timberline?
The point beyond which trees cannot grow
What is another name for the aurora borealis?
Northern lights
Name the coldest regions of the earth.
Frigid zones
Name the snow house usually built for temporary shelter while traveling.
Igloo
What another term for “taiga?”
Boreal forest
