Social Studies: Unit One Vocabulary Flashcards
Contiguous
next to each other
Region
an area in which many features are similar
Relative location
the position of one place compared to other places
Continent
one of earth’s seven largest land masses
Population
the number of people who live in an area
Absolute location
the exact location of a place
Line of latitude
the lines on a map or globe that run east to west; also called parallels
Parallels
a line of latitude. It is called this because parallels are always the same distance from one and other.
Line of longitude
lines on a map or globe that run north to south; also called meridians
Meridian
a line of longitude that runs from the north pole to the south pole
Landform region
a region that has similar landforms throughout
Climate
a kind of weather a place has over a long time
Mountain Range
a group of connected mountains
Erosion
the gradual wearing away of the earth’s surface
Prairie
an area of flat rolling lands covered mostly by grasses
Environment
the surroundings in which people, plants and animals live
Inlet
any area of water extending into the land from a larger body of water
Gulf
a large inlet
Sound
a long inlet that separates offshore islands from the mainland
Tributary
a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or river
River system
a river and its tributaries
Drainage basin
the land drained by a river system
Fall line
a place where the land drops sharply, causing rivers to form waterfalls or rapids
Elevation
the height of land in relation to sea level
Natural vegetation
the plant life that grows naturally in a place
Arid
dry
Tundra
a cold dry region where trees cannot grow
Land use
how the land is used
Natural resources
something found in nature, such as soil, plants, water or minerals that people can use to meet their needs
Renewable resources
resources that can be made again by people or nature
Nonrenewable resources
resources that cannot be made again by people or nature
Modify
to change
Irrigation
the use of canals, ditches or pipes to move water
Efficiency
using less energy to do the same tasks
