Climate Around the World, Tropical Rainforests, and Hot Deserts

Vocabulary flashcards defining primary geographic terms, climate parameters, natural region features, and specific place contexts from the lecture notes.

Weather

What the air is like at a particular time, such as today or yesterday.

Climate

What the weather is usually like over a long period, such as summer or winter.

Temperature

How hot or cold the air is, measured in degrees Celsius ($^\circ\text{C}$).

Rainfall

The amount of rain that falls, measured in millimetres ($\text{mm}$).

Arid

A term meaning very dry, used to describe rainfall and climate conditions.

Annual average rainfall

The amount of rain that falls in a location in one year on average.

Natural region

A geographic area that has a particular climate and natural vegetation.

Extreme climate

A climate with intense weather conditions, such as extreme heat, wetness, or dryness, that makes it difficult for people to live there.

Temperature range

The difference between the highest and lowest temperature in a given area.

Canopy

The layer of leaves and branches formed by trees growing closely together in a rainforest, which can reach up to $30\,\text{m}$ high.

Biodiversity

The term describing all the different plants and animals living in an area.

Deforestation

The cutting down or destruction of forests, such as cutting down an area of tropical rainforest every year.

Habitat

The natural place where plants and animals live.

Hot desert

A natural region characterized by extremely high temperatures and extremely low rainfall.

Sahara Desert

The world's biggest desert, with an average annual temperature of $30\,^\circ\text{C}$ and annual rainfall below $25\,\text{mm}$ per year.

Timbuktu

A city in Mali located on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert.