Exam Flashcards
Geography
a subject that brings a variety of perspectives together. They are both social and physical with regards to the study of people, places, and environments
Map
shows areas of a region and sometimes in much or little detail
Gross Domestic Product
the value of all goods and services produced in a country or region in a year divided by the population
Map Projection
a method used to show earth or a celestial sphere on a plane surface
Developing Country
a country seeking to become more economically and socially advanced (e.g. Madagascar, Bolivia)
Seismologists
earth scientists (they study geological features that happen on earth - e.g. seismic waves)
Bedrock
solid rock under the earth’s crust
Climate
condition in the atmosphere over a long period of time
General Purpose Map
a map that can be used for anything which shows both human-made and natural things - an atlas, roadmap, etc
Newly Industrialised Country
a country with its social and economic status between developing and developed countries
Scale
compares the distance between points on the map with the distance between said points on earth
Faulting
the movement of rock
Folding
the bending of rock
Erosion
the geological process in which earthen materials are worn away and transported by natural forces such as wind or water
Rural Area
an open area of land with very few homes and building and not very many people
Urban Area
the region surrounding a city
Sedimentary Rock
formed from pre-existing rocks or pieces of once-living organisms from deposits accumulated on the earth’s surface. sedimentary rocks often have distinctive layering or bedding
Mammals
humans and all other animals that are warm-blooded vertebrates (vertebrates have backbones) with hair. they feed their young with milk and have a more well-developed brain than other types of animals
Assimilation
one culture group adopts the language/values/traditions of the dominant culture
Cultural Mosaic
a mix of ethnic groups, languages, and cultures that coexist within a society
Manufacturing
processing of raw materials into a more finished state
Immigrant
a person who moves to a new country with the intentions of settling there
False Colours
colours that are added artificially to make patterns more obvious - most used for weather
Magnitude
the amount of energy released during an earthquake
Topographic Map
shows a small area of the earth’s surface in great detail
Remote Sensing
the technology used to study the earth
Pull Factors
positive factors that attract people to new areas from other areas
Carbon Fixation
the process by which plants assimilate carbon from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to form metabolically active compounds
Push Factors
something that encourages an individual to migrate away from a certain place
Hierarchy of Urban Services
a ranking/tier of services
Natural Vegetation
vegetation made naturally with no influences of people
Technology
advances in science which provides faster and easier ways of doing things
Continental Climate
interior land masses away from lakes and oceans
Maritime Climate
coastal locations where the temperature range in small and level of precipitation is higher
Basic Industry
industry that sells its products outside the community bringing money into the community
Non Basic Industry
industry that sells its products within the community
Renewable Resource
a resource of which there is an endless supply as long as it is well managed because it can be replenished
Grand Banks
a very shallow area of land that provides feeding and spawning grounds for fish less than 150m deep
Emigrant
a person who leaves their country of origin to live permanently in another country
Global Village
technological improvements are making communications throughout the world as easy as they would be in a small village
Prevailing Wind
a well established wind pattern - Canada’s is west to east
Clear Cutting
all the trees in an area are cut
Imports
a good or service bought in one country but produced in another
Selective Cutting
only trees of a certain size/quality/type are cut
Shelterwood Logging
70% of the trees in an area are cut and small patches of old growth are left in order to provide seeds
Tornado
a vortex of warm air rising into a cloud - this rising air fuels the thunderstorm
Primary Industry
industry that deals with the production of primary products such as minerals that are mined or agricultural products that are harvested in their natural state
Secondary Industry
industry that deals with manufacturing or construction
Plankton
small microscopic organisms that smaller fish feed on that are made by sunlight beaming on the ocean
Biomass
plant material, vegetation, human or agricultural waste used as a fuel or energy source - burned to produce heat or electricity
Weather
the conditions in an atmosphere over a short period of time
International Date Line
a line on the earth at 180° longitude
Prime Meridian
the earth’s 0° of longitude which passes through Greenwich, England
Solar Energy
heat from the sun is converted to electricity through photovoltaic cells
Air Mass
a large body of air with generally uniform temperature and humidity
Tertiary Industry
service industry that supports primary and secondary industries and society in general
Air Pressure
the weight of air molecules pressing down on the earth
Greenhouse Effect
the process through which heat is trapped near Earth’s surface by substances known as ‘greenhouse gases’
Developed Country
countries at the highest social and economic level (e.g. America, Canada)
Coniferous Trees
trees with needles
Natural Increase Rate
the difference between the number live births and the number of deaths occurring in a year
Temperature Range
subtraction from the coldest monthly temperature from the warmest monthly temperature
Richter Scale
measurement of the strength of earthquakes
Thematic Map
information on a particular topic
What are Canada’s different time-zones and their main cities?
PST - Pacific Standard Time - Victoria, Vancouver
MST - Mountain Standard Time - Calgary, Edmonton
CST - Central Standard Time - Regina, Winnipeg
EST - Eastern Standard Time - Toronto, Quebec City, Ottawa, Montreal
AST - Atlantic Standard Time - Fredericton, Halifax, Charlottetown
Relief/Orographic Precipitation
Warm moist air blows in from the Pacific Ocean
Air rises as it crosses an area of higher elevation (the rate of evaporation decreases)
Precipitation occurs on the windward side of the mountain (side closest to Ocean)
Air descends down the leeward side (opposite to windward) and becomes warmer, more evaporation takes place, which results in a dry climate or rain shadow on the leeward side
Convectional Precipitation
Sun heats the ground and the air above it starts to rise
As air rises the process of evaporation occurs
Rising air expands and cools and water within it condenses to form white puffy clouds
As condensation is continuous, clouds become darker (cumulonimbus clouds) and water droplets get larger and begin to form precipitation
Frontal/Cyclonic Precipitation
Air masses that are different in temperature and moisture do not mix well
A front-leading edge begins to form depending on if its cold or hot - if it is cold the front is a cold front and vice versa
A cyclonic storm happens when a cold air mass and warm air mass collide creating a low pressure system (usually occurs under a polar front jet stream)
Warm air moves inward toward the centre of the low pressure system and causes the air to rise and create precipitation (rises because warm air is less dense than colder dense air)
Process of Wind
Heating the ground by the sun warms the air above it and causes the air to rise - producing a low pressure system
Air cools and sinks - produces a high pressure system
Air at ground level moves from a high pressure system to a low pressure system thus creating wind
Canadian Shield
6 natural resources found (coal, lumber, agriculture, etc) and soil is very fertile in parts of the shield
Great Lakes St. Lawrence Lowlands
the second smallest landform region and excellent soil with a warm climate
Hudson Bay Arctic Lowlands
harsh climate does not permit farming, flat low area covered by swampy forest
Interior Plains
part of the great plains of North America that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico
Appalachian Mountains
oldest highland region in Canada - formed about 300 million years ago
Western Cordillera
the valleys run north-south which makes east-west transportation difficult, mountain range was caused by the collision of the North American and Pacific plates
Innuitian Mountains
contains igneous and metamorphic rock but is mainly composed of sedimentary rock
Basic Features of a Map
Title - the area shown and purpose
Scale - compares the distance on the map to the distance on earth
Borders
Legend - explains the meaning behind symbols
Date of Publication
Directions - arrows, symbols, latitude and longitude, etc
