Chapter 1: Introduction to Geography – Flashcards
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the study of the earth
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Geography
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the idea that the earth and mankind developed by "accident" and evolved toward a better state over billions and billions of years
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Evolution
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how we view things
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Perspective
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where a place is found on the earth
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Location
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large bodies of land surrounded or nearly surrounded by water
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Continents
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the shape and elevation of the land
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Topography
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what geographers recognize as four large bodies of water
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Oceans
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the deepest ocean
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Pacific Ocean
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the warmest ocean
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Indian Ocean
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the smallest, shallowest, and coldest ocean
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Arctic Ocean
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the lines that run east and west around the globe
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Parallels of Latitude
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half-spheres
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Hemispheres
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lies 1,600 miles north of the equator
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Tropic of Cancer
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lies 1,600 mile south of the equator
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Tropic of Capricorn
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lies 1,600 miles south of the North Pole
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Arctic Circle
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lies 1,600 miles north of the South Pole
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Antarctic Circle
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two names for the lines that run north and south around the globe and come together at the poles
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Lines of Longitude and Meridians
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the meridian that runs through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England
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Prime Meridian
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a line that corresponds closely to the Prime Meridian from the opposite side of the world and zigzags through the middle of the Pacific Ocean
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International Date Line
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the point where the parallel and the meridian intersect at that location
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Coordinates
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the most prominent landscape feature on earth; rise at least 2,000 feet above sea level, and most have a peak or submit and steep, sloping sides
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Mountains
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range from 500 to 2,000 feet in height, have rounded tops and usually do not have very steep slopes
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Hills
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have broad, flat tops with gorges and canyons cutting through them
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Plateaus
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have flat tops and extremely steep sides, and are usually round or oblong in shape
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Mesas
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resemble mesas but are smaller in diameter
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Buttes
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low, shadowy places tucked between mountains and hills
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Valleys
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flat, rolling lands with few changes in elevation
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Plains
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the wide mouth of a river where the ocean tide meets the current
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Estuary
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"fingers" of land that jut out into oceans and seas
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Peninsulas
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a body of land completely surrounded by water
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Island
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a narrow strip of land that connects land masses
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Isthmus
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the cycle in which moisture evaporates from vast oceans and condenses into clouds which eventually release their moisture as precipitation which collects in rivers and is carried to the ocean
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Hydrologic Cycle
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rivulets of water join and form
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Streams
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stream join and form
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Rivers
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where rivers plunge from a cliff or shelf of rock
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Waterfalls
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a body of water surrounded by land
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Lake
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artificial lakes that are formed by dams
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Reservoirs
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a fertile place in a desert where there is water and vegetation
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Oasis
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involves the changes that take place in the lower part of the earth's atmosphere in a localized area during a short period of time
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Weather
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involves certain patterns of weather which occur over a long period of time in a particular region
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Climate
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climate zones that extends from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn and encompasses the equator
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Torrid Zones
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climate zone that extends from the Tropic of Cancer to the Arctic Circle
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Northern Temperate Zone
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climate zone that extends from the Tropic of Capricorn to the Antarctic Circle
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Southern Temperate Zone
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climate zones that are found in the far north and south and extend from the Arctic and Antarctic Circles to their representative poles
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Frigid Zones
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A wind blowing eastwardly toward the equator from the northeast in the northern hemisphere or the southeast in the southern hemisphere
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Trade Winds
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cool air, usually moving quickly toward the poles from the west to east in both hemispheres
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Prevailing Westerlies
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great rotating storms or cyclones
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Hurricanes
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known as the "Pathfinder of the Seas"
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Matthew Maury
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a climatologist and meteorologist working for the German Naval Observatory in Hamburg, introduced a system of climatic classification
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Wladimir Koppen
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the release of water from the atmosphere in the form of rain, snow, or ice
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Precipitation
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when two air masses of different temperatures meet, the warm air is forced upward over the cooler air
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Frontal Precipitation
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results when warm air rises over the mountains and cools, forming clouds that release snow and ice
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Orographic Precipitation
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occurs when hot, humid air rises and cools, losing its ability to hold as much moisture; produces the world's heaviest rainfalls
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Convectional Precipitation
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height above sea level
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Elevation
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The evaporation of water from soil plus the transpiration of water from plants
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Evapotranspiration
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energy that is derived from the heat of the earth's interior
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Geothermal Energy
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the energy of the sun
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Solar Energy
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some of the most important nonrenewable resources, the fossil fluids
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Coal and Petroleum
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the best alternate energy source known to man
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Nuclear Energy
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a warm, moist wind that that blow from the sea to the land and bring heavy rains which often flood low-lying regions
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Monsoon
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way of life
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Culture
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the most important factor in any culture
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Religion
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Rule by God
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Theocracy
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rule by one
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Autocracy
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A system of government headed by one ruler as a king of queen
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Monarchy
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A system of government in which the ruler, usually a military leader, acquires power by some other means than inheritance and rules with absolute authority
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Dictatorship
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rule by the people
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Democracy
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a system of government in which the people rule directly by popular vote
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Direct Democracy
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A system of government in which the people rule through elected representatives
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Democratic Republic
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A system of republic government in which the people and their representatives assembly are guided by the rule of law (constitution)
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Constitutional Republic
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allows individuals the freedom to follow their economic pursuits as they see fit through private ownership of property and individual decision making in the market-place
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Free Enterprise Capitalism
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a system in which the government owns, or at least controls, a nation's resources and industries (including its businesses, factories and other means of production)
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Socialism
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an economy when a country and its people derive most of their income from agriculture
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Agrarian Economy
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an economy that depends on the production of manufactured goods
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Industrial Economy
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an economy which depends on the transfer of high technology such as computer software
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Information-Based Economy
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the study and collection of facts about the earth and its features as well as about the activities of people on the earth
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Geography
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a systematic study of a nation's population which includes counting the people and recording various facts about them
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Census
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the art of making maps
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Cartography
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a scale model of the earth which shows actual shapes, sizes, and locations of land masses and bodies of water
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Globe
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a flat representation of the earth or a portion of the earth
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Map
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developed by Gerardus Mercator; it stretches the poles as wide as the equator to form a map that accurately shows directions and shapes but distorts distance and size
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Mercator Projection
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an equal-area map; it shows correct size of land masses in relation to other land masses but distorts shape
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Mollweide Projection
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is a type of conformal map that combining the best features of the Mollweide and Mercator projections; the lines of latitude and longitude almost intersect at right angles, except near the edges
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Robinson Projection
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shows true compass directions; longitude lines are strait and latitude lines are circles
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Azimuthal Projection
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shows correct distance over a small section of the earth
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Equidistant Map
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tells you what a map is portraying
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Title
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on a map helps you determine distances
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Scale
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a arrow that indicates north; it can also be a compass rose
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Directional Indicator
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on a map explains what the symbols, lines and colors represent
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Legend or Key
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numerical facts and figures
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Statistics
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approximate, educated guesses based on observations
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Estimates
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pictorial illustrations of numerical data
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Charts and Graphs
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a flat portrayal of the earth's surface
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Projection
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a graph that is good for showing the growth of decline of something
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Line Graph
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a graph that can be used to compare statistics
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Bar Graph
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a chart that is often used to illustrate percentages
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Pie Chart
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a graph that uses symbols or pictures to compare statistics
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Pictograph
