Chapters 1-4 Flashcards
What is geography?
The world and all that’s in it
What divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres?
The Equator
What is the exact spot at which a place is found on the globe using a grid system?
Absolute location
What place does the Prime Meridian go through?
Greenwhich, England
What are places that has common characteristics and areas that are united by specific factors?
Regions
What is an ecosystems?
a community of plants and animals that depend upon one another, and their surroundings, for survival
What is cartography?
the study and making of maps
What is the lithosphere?
land that makes up a part of the earth
What is a hydrosphere?
Oceans, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water
What is the atmosphere?
the air in which we breathe; 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, and small amounts of argon and other gases
What is the highest point on Earth above sea level?
Mt.Everest
How tall is Mt.Everest
29,035 ft (8,852 m )
What is the lowest point on dry land?
the Dead Sea
How long is the Dead Sea?
1,349 feet (411 m )
What is the mantle?
a thick layer of hot, dense rock
What elements does the mantle have?
Silicon, aluminum, iron, magnesium, oxygen, and other elements
What is the theory that the continents were once joined and then slowly drifted apart?
Continental drift
What are Faults?
Cracks in the earth’s crust
What causes Faults?
plates that may grind or slide past each other
What is Erosion?
the wearing away of the earth’s surface by wind, glaciers, and moving water
Is Glaciation a part of the water cycle?
No
What is an aquifer?
an underground porous rock layer often saturated with water in the form of streams
What degree is Earth tilted?
23.5 degrees
What is the greenhouse effect?
Earth’s atmosphere that traps the sun’s warmth for growing plants even in cold weather
What is windward side?
the side of the mountain range facing towards the wind
What is natural increase?
the growth rate of a population as the difference between an area’s birthrate and its death rate
What is Population distribution?
the pattern of human settlement
What is the movement of people from place to place?
Migration
Is Landform an element of culture?
No
Name 3 elements of culture.
Language, Religion, and Government
Name 3 major culture hearths.
India, Africa, and China
Is the United States a major culture hearth?
No
What is cultural diffusion?
the process of spreading new knowledge and skills from one culture to another
What is a culture hearth?
early centers of civilization whose ideas and practices spread to surrounding areas
What is a Unitary system?
gives all key powers to the national or central government
What is a Federal system?
divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial government
What is an Oligarchy?
a system of government in which a small group holds power. Usually from the wealth, military power, social position, or a combination of these elements
What is a system of government in which leaders rule with the consent of the citizens?
Democracy
What is a republic government?
citizens that elect on who they wish to represent them in city, state, and national
What is a Traditional economy?
Habit and custom determine the rules for all economic activity
What is a Market economy?
Individuals and Private groups make decisions about what to produce
What is a Command economy?
The government owns or directs the means of production - land, labor, capital ( machinery, factories ), and business managers - and controls the distribution of goods
Is Unit I the building blocks of geography?
True
