Social Studies: Unit One Vocabulary

Question 1

Contiguous

Answer 1

next to each other

Question 2

Region

Answer 2

an area in which many features are similar

Question 3

Relative location

Answer 3

the position of one place compared to other places

Question 4

Continent

Answer 4

one of earth’s seven largest land masses

Question 5

Population

Answer 5

the number of people who live in an area

Question 6

Absolute location

Answer 6

the exact location of a place

Question 7

Line of latitude

Answer 7

the lines on a map or globe that run east to west; also called parallels

Question 8

Parallels

Answer 8

a line of latitude. It is called this because parallels are always the same distance from one and other.

Question 9

Line of longitude

Answer 9

lines on a map or globe that run north to south; also called meridians

Question 10

Meridian

Answer 10

a line of longitude that runs from the north pole to the south pole

Question 11

Landform region

Answer 11

a region that has similar landforms throughout

Question 12

Climate

Answer 12

a kind of weather a place has over a long time

Question 13

Mountain Range

Answer 13

a group of connected mountains

Question 14

Erosion

Answer 14

the gradual wearing away of the earth’s surface

Question 15

Prairie

Answer 15

an area of flat rolling lands covered mostly by grasses

Question 16

Environment

Answer 16

the surroundings in which people, plants and animals live

Question 17

Inlet

Answer 17

any area of water extending into the land from a larger body of water

Question 18

Gulf

Answer 18

a large inlet

Question 19

Sound

Answer 19

a long inlet that separates offshore islands from the mainland

Question 20

Tributary

Answer 20

a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or river

Question 21

River system

Answer 21

a river and its tributaries

Question 22

Drainage basin

Answer 22

the land drained by a river system

Question 23

Fall line

Answer 23

a place where the land drops sharply, causing rivers to form waterfalls or rapids

Question 24

Elevation

Answer 24

the height of land in relation to sea level

Question 25

Natural vegetation

Answer 25

the plant life that grows naturally in a place

Question 26

Arid

Answer 26

dry

Question 27

Tundra

Answer 27

a cold dry region where trees cannot grow

Question 28

Land use

Answer 28

how the land is used

Question 29

Natural resources

Answer 29

something found in nature, such as soil, plants, water or minerals that people can use to meet their needs

Question 30

Renewable resources

Answer 30

resources that can be made again by people or nature

Question 31

Nonrenewable resources

Answer 31

resources that cannot be made again by people or nature

Question 32

Modify

Answer 32

to change

Question 33

Irrigation

Answer 33

the use of canals, ditches or pipes to move water

Question 34

Efficiency

Answer 34

using less energy to do the same tasks