Geography - Chapter 1 Vocab Flashcards
Geography
The study of where people, places, and things are located and how they relate to each other
GIS
GIS = Geographic Information System
It uses computer technology to collect, manipulate, analyze, and display data about the earth’s surface in order to solve geographic problems
Absolute Location
Exact position on the globe
Hemisphere
Halves of the world
Relative Location
Relation compared to other places
Character of a Place
It consists of the place’s physical characteristics and human characteristics
Perception
A viewpoint that is influenced by one’s culture and experiences
Formal Regions
They consist of a central place and the surrounding places affected by it
Functional Regions
They consist of a central place and the surrounding places affected by it
Perceptual Regions
They are defined by people’s feelings and attitudes about areas
Core
Center of the Earth
Mantle
A thick layer of rock around the core of the Earth
Crust
The thin rocky surface layer of the Earth
Lithosphere
Made up of soil, rocks, landforms, and other surface features
Atmosphere
Layer of air, water, and other substances above the surface
Hydrosphere
Consists of water in oceans, lakes, and rivers
Biosphere
The world of plants, animals, and other living things that occupy the land and waters of the planet
Continent
The large landmasses in the oceans
Relief
The difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points
Plate Tectonics
According to this theory, the Earth’s outer shell is made up of a number of moving plates that move past and over each other
Continental Drift Theory
Theory proposed by Alfred Wegener. It proposed that there was once a single supercontinent, Pangaea, that eventually broke up into our current continents.
Ring of Fire
A circle of volcanoes surrounding the Pacific Ocean
Weathering
The breakdown of rock at or near the Earth’s surface into smaller and smaller pieces
Mechanical Weathering
This process occurs when rock is actually broken or weakened physically
Chemical Weathering
This process alters a rock’s chemical makeup by changing the minerals that form the rock or combining them with new chemical elements. by this process, one kind of rock can be changed into a completely different kind
Acid Rain
A type of chemical weathering. Chemicals in polluted air combine with water vapor and fall back to Earth as acid rain. It can eat through wood and even rock. It also poisons water.
Erosion
The movement of weathered materials such as gravel, soil, and sand
Sediment
Small particles of soil, sand, and gravel
Loess
Windblown deposits of mineral-rich dust and silt
Glacier
Huge slow-moving sheets of ice. Formed by snow being pressed and frozen together
Moraine
Ridgelike piles of rocks and debris left behind by glaciers
Cartography
The creation of or study of maps
Cardinal Directions
Main directions. North, South, East, and West
Scale
A representation of proportional size.
Example: Scale on a map, 1 inch = 1 mile
Parallels
Another name for a line of latitude. It runs East and West, and is measured North and South
Equator
An imaginary line that runs around the Earth and separates the Northern and Southern hemispheres
Meridians
Another name for a line of longitude. It runs North and South, and is measured East and West
Prime Meridian
The 0 degree line of longitude that distance East or West is measured from. It runs through Greenwich, England
Latitude
Lines of latitude run East and West. Latitude is measured North and South
Longitude
Lines of latitude run North and South. Longitude is measured East and West
Principal Meridian
A principal north-south line used for survey control in a large region.The main meridians
Projections
A systematic construction of lines drawn on a plane surface representative of and corresponding to the meridians and parallels of the curved surface of the earth or celestial sphere
Great Circle
A circle of which a segment represents the shortest distance between two points on the surface of the earth
Mercator Projection
Developed in 1569 to help with navigation across the Atlantic. Distances are accurate, but it distorts the size or areas, especially the poles.
Robinson Projection
Tried to correct polar distortion by curving poles inward. Poles still distorted, but considerably less. Helps with distortion
Peters Projection
Keeps land masses equal, but shapes are distorted. It’s centered on the prime meridian and the equator
Contour Map
A map that shows elevations above sea level and surface features of the land by means of contour lines
Physical Map
Physical maps displays the natural features of the earth
Political Map
A representation of a country’s territories, boundaries, and capital(s) on paper or other material
Mental Map
A person’s personal point-of-view perception of their own world
Relief
The difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points
Special Purpose Maps
A special purpose map is a map that has more specific information other than a single topic. Specific maps will frequently have climate regions, soil, waterways and other things that you will not find on typical map
GPS
Global Positioning System
This system relies on a network of 24 satellites orbiting the earth
Transnational Corporation
Any corporation that is registered and operates in more than one country at a time; also called a multinational corporation
Greenwich Mean Time
the time as measured on the prime meridian running through Greenwich, England: used in England and as a standard of calculation elsewhere
International Dateline
A theoretical line following approximately the 180th meridian, the regions to the east of which are counted as being one day earlier in their calendar dates than the regions to the west
Space-Time Compression
A term used to describe processes that seem to accelerate the experience of time and reduce the significance of distance during a given historical moment
Distance Decay
It describes the effect of distance on cultural or spatial interactions. The distance decay effect states that the interaction between two locales declines as the distance between them increases
Globalization
The act of globalizing, or extending to other or all parts of the world
