Geography

N Hemisphere

North Hemisphere, the half of the Earth that is north of the equator.

S Hemisphere

South Hemisphere, the half of the Earth that is south of the equator.

E Hemisphere

Eastern Hemisphere, parts of the world situated to the east of the Prime Meridian.

W Hemisphere

Western Hemisphere, parts of the world situated to the west of the Prime Meridian.

Isthmus

A narrow strip of land that links two larger land masses.

Arctic Circle

The line of latitude that makes the boundary of the northern polar zone.

Island

A landmass surrounded by water.

Archipelago

Multiple landmasses surrounded by water; a group of islands.

Mountains

Natural elevations of the earth’s surface, usually over 2000 feet.

River System

A main river with other streams flowing into it.

Delta

An often-triangular shaped deposit of sand that occurs when a river flows into an ocean.

Peninsula

Narrow land surrounded by water on three sides.

Strait

Narrow piece of water that separates two larger land masses.

Plateau

Raised area of land with a flat top.

Oasis

An isolated spot in the desert where greenland and water may be found.

Canyon

Deep valley with steep sides, often with a river flowing through it.

Source

The beginning or place of origin of a stream or river.

Tributary

A stream that eventually flows into a river.

Continent

Any of the world's main continuous areas of land.

Sub-Continent

A part of a larger continent made up of several countries that form a large mass of land.

Equator

An imaginary line drawn around the earth equally distant from both poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres and constituting the parallel of latitude 0°.

Prime Meridian

The line of 0° longitude, the starting point for measuring distance both east and west around the Earth.

Lines of Latitude

Also called parallels, imaginary lines that divide the Earth running east to west, measuring distance north or south.

Lines of Longitude

Also called meridians, imaginary lines that divide the Earth running north to south, measuring distance east or west.