Economic, Geographical, and Geological Terms Flashcards
agriculture
The purposeful tending of crops and livestock in order to produce food.
aquifer
An underground reservoir of water contained within a porous, water-bearing rock layer.
arable
Literally, “cultivable.” Land fit for cultivation by one farming method or another.
cartography
The art and science of making maps.
contiguous
The word of some importance to geographers that means to be in contact with, adjoining, or adjacent.
continental drift
The slow movement of continents governed by the process associated with plate tectonics.
delta alluvial
Lowland at the mouth of a river, formed when the river deposits its alluvial load upon reaching the sea. Often triangular in shape.
desert
An arid area supporting very sparse vegetation, receiving less than 10 inches (25 cm) of precipitation per year. Usually exhibits extremes of heat and cold because the moderating influence of moisture is absent.
equator
Zero degrees latitude, equidistant from the North and South Poles. Equatorial climates are among the warmest on earth.
erosion
A combination of gradational forces that shape the earth’s surface landforms. Running water, wind action, and the force of moving ice combine to wear away soil and rock. Human activities often speed erosional processes, such as through the destruction of natural vegetation, careless farming practices, and overgrazing by livestock.
fjord
Narrow, steep-sided, elongated, and inundated costal valley deepened by glacier ice that has since melted away, leaving the sea to penetrate.
gross national product (GNP)
The total value of all goods and services produced by a country during a given year.
gulf
Body of water surrounded by land on three sides.
high seas
Areas of the oceans away from land, beyond national jurisdiction, open and free for all to use.
infrastructure
The foundations of a society: urban centers; communications; farms; factories; mines; and such facilities as schools, hospitals, postal services, and police, and armed forces.
irrigation
The artificial watering of croplands.
isthmus
A comparatively narrow link between larger bodies of land (e.g., Panama).
latitude
Lines of latitude are parallels that are aligned east-west across the globe, from 0 degrees latitude at the equator to 90 degrees north and south latitude at the poles.
longitude
Angular distance (0 degrees to 180 degrees) east or west as measured from the Prime Meridian (0 degrees) that passes through the Greenwich Observatory in suburban London, England.
megalopolis
Term used to designate large, coalescing supercities that are forming in diverse parts of the world (e.g., the eastern seaboard of the United States between Washington, D. C., and Boston).
meridian
Line of longitude, aligned north-south across the globe. Together with parallels of latitude, they form the global grid system.
parallel
An east-west line of latitude that is intersected at right angles by meridians of longitude.
region
A commonly used term and a geographic concept of central importance. An area on the surface of the earth, marked by certain properties.
strait
A comparatively narrow link between larger bodies of water (e.g., Straits of Gibraltar).
tectonic plates
Bonded portions of the earth’s mantle and crust. Where they meet, one slides under the other, crumpling the surface crust and producing significant volcanic and earthquake activity. The shifting of these plates plays an important role in the formation of mountains and other geological events.
Tropic of Cancer
23.5 degrees north of the equator.
Topic of Capricorn
23.5 degrees south of the equator.
