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Abiotic

Composed of nonliving or inorganic matter

Atmosphere

The thin layer of gasses surrounding Earth

Biosphere

All living organisms on Earth, including plants and animals, as well as microorganisms

Biotic

Composed of living organisms

Cartography

The science of making maps

Conservation

The sustainable management of a natural resource to meet human needs

Density

The frequency with which something exists within a given unit of area

Environmental Determinism

A nineteenth and early twentieth century approach to the study of geography which argued that the general laws sought by human geographers could be found in the physical sciences. Geography was therefore the study of how the physical environment caused human activities

Greenwich Mean Time

The reference for every time zone in the world. The prime meridian passes through the Royal Observatory

Latitude

The numbering system used to indicate the location of parallels drawn on a globe and measuring distance north and south of the equator (0°)

Lithosphere

Earth's crust and a portion of upper mantle directly below the crust

Longitude

The numbering system used to indicate the location of meridians drawn on a globe and measuring distance east and west of the prime meridian (0°)

Map Scale

The relationship between the size of an object on a map and the size of the actual feature on Earth's surface

Meridian

An arc drawn on a map between the North and South poles

Nonrenewable Resource

A resource that is produced in nature more slowly than it is consumed by humans

Possibilism

The theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives

Preservation

The maintenance of resources in their present condition, with as little human impact as possible

Prime meridian

The meridian, designated as 0° longitude, that passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England

Projection

A system used to transfer locations from Earth's surface to a flat map

Region

An area distinguished by one or more distinctive characteristics

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of a feature or trend through bodily movement of people from one place to another

Remote sensing

The acquisition of data about Earth's surface from a satellite orbiting the planet or from other long-distance methods

Renewable Resource

A resource that is produced in nature more rapidly than it is consumed by humans

Scale

The relationship between the portion of Earth being studied and Earth as a whole

Site

The physical character of a place

Situation

Or relative location, the location of a place relative to another place

Toponym

The name given to a portion of the Earth's surf