The Physical World

Vocabulary terms and geographical facts covering world physical features, landscapes, and Swiss geography.

Surface

The top or outside part of something.

Earth

The planet that we live on.

Flow

To move continuously and freely in a stream, like water from a tap.

Canal

An artificial water channel constructed for navigation, transport, or irrigation (e.g., the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal).

Waterfall

A place where water falls over a vertical drop or cliff, such as Angel Falls in Venezuela.

Rainforest

A dense forest typically found in tropical areas that receives high amounts of rainfall.

Ocean

A very large expanse of sea, such as the Pacific or Atlantic.

Cover

To lie over something, to extend over a specific area, or to travel a certain distance.

Consist of

To be made up from or composed of specific elements or parts.

Region

A particular geographical area in a country or in the world.

Contrast

A big or noticeable difference between two or more things.

Landscape

The appearance of an area of land.

Climate

The typical weather conditions of a particular location.

Distance

The physical amount of space separating two points or places.

Surface

The top or outside part of something.

Earth

The planet we live on.

Spin

To move around in circles.

Cover

A verb meaning to lie over something else, to constitute a specific area or percentage of something, or to travel a certain distance.

Consist of

To be made up from or formed from.

Region

An area in a country or the world.

Contrast

A big difference between things, places, or features.

Landscape

The appearance of an area of land.

Climate

The regular or typical weather conditions of an area.

Distance

The amount of space between two points or places.

Krubera-Voronia Cave

The deepest cave in the world, located near the Black Sea coast and measuring $2{,}197\,\text{m}$ deep.

Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal

The longest canal in the world, measuring $1{,}794\,\text{km}$ in length.

Angel Falls

The highest waterfall in the world, located in Venezuela and measuring $979\,\text{m}$ high.

Amazon Rainforest

The largest rainforest in the world, which covers $40\%$ of the South American continent.

Pacific Ocean

The largest ocean in the world, which is larger in size than the Atlantic Ocean.

Vostok

A site in Antarctica identified as probably the coldest place on Earth, where daytime temperatures of $\text{minus } 50^\circ\text{ or } 60^\circ\text{C}$ are common.

Swiss Plateau, Jura, and the Alps

The three main geographical regions that make up the country of Switzerland.

Ascona

A place in the south of Switzerland known for having an almost Mediterranean climate.

Dufour Peak

A peak in Valais, Switzerland, with a very cold climate, situated a distance of just $70\,\text{km}$ from Ascona.