APUSH Geography – Key Vocabulary & Physical Features

flashcards covering geographic concepts, terms, map types, and U.S. physical features for APUSH summer geography review.

Region

Theme grouping areas that share common physical or cultural traits.

Equator

Imaginary line at 0° latitude dividing Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Prime Meridian

Imaginary line at 0° longitude (Greenwich) dividing Earth into Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Longitude

Angular distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees.

Latitude

Angular distance north or south of the equator, measured in degrees.

Hemisphere

One-half of the Earth, usually Northern/Southern or Eastern/Western.

Map Projection

Method for portraying Earth’s curved surface on a flat map; always involves distortion.

Compass Rose

Map symbol showing cardinal (N, S, E, W) and often intermediate directions.

Topography

The shape and elevation of the land; the arrangement of natural and man-made features.

Ocean Currents

Large-scale, continuous movement of seawater driven by wind, temperature, salinity, and Earth’s rotation.

Peninsula

Piece of land surrounded by water on three sides.

Sound

Long, narrow body of water between a coast and islands or linking larger bodies of water.

Cape

Point of land jutting into a body of water; headland.

Delta

Sediment-built landform at a river’s mouth, often triangular in shape.

Mesa

Isolated, flat-topped hill with steep sides, common in arid regions.

Physical Map

Map illustrating natural landforms such as mountains, rivers, and elevation.

Political Map

Map showing human-made boundaries like countries, states, and cities.

Thematic Map

Map focused on a specific topic (e.g., climate, population density).

Great Plains

Vast, flat to gently rolling grassland east of the Rockies and west of the Mississippi River.

Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Plain

Low, broad plain along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean from Texas to New Jersey.

Atlantic Ocean

Ocean bordering the U.S. East Coast between the Americas and Europe/Africa.

Pacific Ocean

World’s largest ocean; borders the U.S. West Coast between the Americas and Asia/Oceania.

Gulf of Mexico

Large gulf bordered by the southeastern U.S. and eastern Mexico.

Great Lakes

Five connected freshwater lakes—Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario—on the U.S.–Canada border.

Great Salt Lake

Large, saline remnant of Lake Bonneville in northern Utah.

St. Lawrence River

River flowing from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence; part U.S.–Canada border.

Columbia River

River from British Columbia, through Washington, along Oregon–Washington border to the Pacific.

Hudson River

River from the Adirondacks south through eastern New York to New York Harbor.

Colorado River

River rising in Colorado Rockies, carving the Grand Canyon, emptying into the Gulf of California.

Ohio River

Tributary of the Mississippi; flows west from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois.

Missouri River

Longest North American river; joins the Mississippi near St. Louis.

Mississippi River

Major U.S. river flowing from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.

Bering Sea

Sea between Alaska and Siberia, linked to the Arctic by the Bering Strait.

Rio Grande

River forming much of the U.S.–Mexico border from Texas to the Gulf of Mexico.

Everglades

Vast subtropical wetland of sawgrass marshes in southern Florida.

Chesapeake Bay

Large estuary between Maryland and Virginia fed by the Susquehanna and other rivers.

Appalachian Mountains

Old, eroded mountain chain from Alabama to Newfoundland along eastern North America.

Rocky Mountains

High, rugged mountain system from New Mexico north through Canada—western continental backbone.

Ozarks

Upland plateau and low mountains in southern Missouri, northern Arkansas, and eastern Oklahoma.

Coast Ranges

Series of mountains running along the Pacific Coast of California, Oregon, and Washington.

Cascade Range

Volcanic mountain chain from northern California through Oregon and Washington into British Columbia.

Adirondacks

Dome-shaped mountain massif in northeastern New York State.

Allegheny Mountains

Section of the Appalachians in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.

Blue Ridge Mountains

Easternmost Appalachians stretching from Georgia to Pennsylvania.

Sierra Nevada

Tall range in eastern California/Nevada; includes Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.

Mt. McKinley (Denali)

Highest peak in North America (20,310 ft), located in Alaska Range.

Mt. Shasta

Dormant stratovolcano in northern California’s Cascade Range.

Mt. Whitney

Highest peak in the contiguous U.S. (14,505 ft) in California’s Sierra Nevada.

Mt. Rainier

Glaciated stratovolcano near Seattle; Washington’s highest peak (14,411 ft).

Mauna Loa

Massive, active shield volcano on Hawaii Island.

Mauna Kea

Dormant volcano on Hawaii Island; highest point in Hawaii (13,796 ft).

Black Hills

Isolated mountain range in western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming.

Mojave Desert

Arid desert region in southeastern California, southern Nevada, and western Arizona.

Aleutian Islands

Volcanic island chain stretching west from Alaska into the North Pacific.

Florida Keys

Coral island chain extending southwest from Florida’s southern tip into the Gulf of Mexico.

Continental Divide

Hydrological ridge along the Rockies separating waters flowing to the Pacific from those to the Atlantic/Gulf.

Central Valley (California)

Large, fertile valley between the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges in California.

Long Island

Long, narrow island east of New York City, separating the Atlantic Ocean from Long Island Sound.