Physical Geography

Latitude

The horizontal lines of the grid system that measure distance above and below the Equator

Great Lakes Region

the geographic region surrounding the Great Lakes

Jim Crow Laws

Laws written after Reconstruction that enforced segregation in the South. Restricted the civil rights of black citizens, such as voting and educational equalities.

Place

Refers to the physical and human aspects of a specific area. One of the 5 themes of geography.

Example

London (has a temperate climate and urban population)

Appalachian Mountains

A mountain range running vertically in Eastern North America and that serves as one of the key physical features of NA.

Taiga

An area found in the high latitudes and far from the ocean.

Steppes

An area found far from the ocean in the middle latitudes. It is marked by extreme seasons.

Inset Map

smaller maps that zoom into a location to show more details about an area

Sea

typically a coastal branch of the ocean, sometimes landlocked; composed of saltwater

Example

Mediterranean Sea

Humid Continental

An area found inland in the middle latitudes. It is marked by four distinct seasons.

Savanna

An area marked by seasonal rains

Earthquakes

a physical event involving the shaking of the surface of the earth

Example

Haitian earthquake in 2010

Erie Canal

A man-made navigable water route from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean (via New York City's Hudson River)

Humid Subtropical

An area found in the middle latitudes along the southeastern coast of continents

Scale

a tool to measure and convert distances on a map

Tropics

the region between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees north latitude) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees south latitude); warm temperatures; high rainfall

Example

Amazon RainforestAndes Mountains

Andes Mountains

One of two key physical features in South America, it is the longest mountain range in the world and the second highest range in the world.

Arctic Circle

The latitudinal line (66.5 degrees North) at which the sun cannot be seen at noon on December 21, the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

Amazon River

One of two key physical features in South America, it is the second longest river in the world, and discharges more water than any other river.

Tropic of Cancer

The latitude (23.5 degrees North) at which the sun is directly overhead at noon on June 21, the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

Plains

An area of land that is flat and lies at a low elevation

Tropic of Capricorn

The latitude (23.5 degrees South) at which the sun is directly overhead at noon on December 21, the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

Movement

stepwise or by leap

Great Basin

An area of watersheds to the east of California that extends into several other western states

Continents

the world’s major continuous masses of land.

Fertile Crescent

A crescent-shaped area from the Mediterranean Sea on the West to the Persian Gulf on the East and that contained extremely fertile soil. Some of the first agricultural communities were settled there and it is sometimes referred to as "The Cradle of Civilization."

Strait of Hormuz

A key physical feature in the Middle East that is a narrow stretch of water between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Cartography Symbol

common images to represent real-world features on a map

Prime Meridian

The center line of longitude that divides the Earth into an eastern and western hemisphere

Gobi Desert

One of the key physical features in Asia, it is the fifth largest desert in the world, and covers northern and northwestern China and southern Mongolia.

Suez Canal

A man made navigable water route from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea

Equator

The center line of latitude around the middle of the Earth that divides the globe into a Northern and Southern hemisphere

Region

A collection of different places that have one or more unifying characteristics. One of the 5 themes of geography.

Example

The Pacific Northwest (shares similar weather patterns)

Ocean

the largest type of water body; composed of saltwater; divided into the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, Southern, and Arctic Oceans

Example

Atlantic Ocean

Physical Region

A region that share similar physical features.

Example

Rocky Mountains

Great Circle

lines that can be drawn on the Earth to determine the shortest path between two points

Cultural Region

A region defined by common human characteristics

Example

Midwest

Temperate Zones

The areas between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn(23.5 degrees N and S) and the Arctic and Antarctic Circles (66.5 degrees N and S)

Example

Pampas

Sahara Desert

The key physical feature in Africa, that is the largest hot desert in the world and covers most of northern Africa.

New England

a region of the Northeastern U.S. consisting of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island, founded by Puritans seeking the freedom to practice and build societies around their Protestant sects

Mediterranean

An area found in the middle latitudes in land along the western coast of a continent

River

A large stream that flows over land, usually carrying a large amount of freshwater

Example

Amazon River

Mountains

an area of land that rises abruptly and steeply above the land surrounding it.

Himalaya Mountains

One of the key physical features in Asia, they are the tallest mountains in the world and are home to ten of the tallest peaks in the world

Grid System

Imaginary lines, spaced equally apart, running horizontally and vertically that divide the world for referencing absolute location

Location

The particular position of a place, described as absolute or relative terms. One of the 5 themes of geography.

Example

Longitude and latitude coordinates (absolute) or north of the river (relative)

Renewable Resources

resources which replenish at the same (or faster) rate than the rate at which they are used

Example

wind energy, solar energy, hydroelectric power

Alps Mountain Range

The key physical feature in Europe, this range runs from Austria to France.

Legend

Image that explains any symbols found on the map or globe

Lake

a landlocked basin filled with water; usually freshwater. Can be used for recreation, fishing, hydroelectric power, and/or as a water source

Example

Lake Baikal

Relative Location

describes a place's location relative to another place. Relative locations can be helpful but require knowledge of the base location in order to understand the direction.

Example

the library is located across the street from the courthouse

Rain Shadow Effect

the phenomenon in which desert-like conditions appear on the leeward side of a mountain or mountain range.

Example

Death Valley

Time Zones

a region of the earth which observes a uniform standard time; there are around 37 time zones, depending on daylight saving time

Example

Nepal Standard Time

Elevation

distance above sea level

Antarctic Circle

The latitudinal line (66.5 degrees South) at which the sun cannot be seen at noon on June 21, the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

El Niño

A phenomenon in which the surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean near the Equator becomes warmer than normal, which changes weather patterns around the world. One major effect is dry weather in Asia when they would normally be in the monsoon season.

Desert

An area with extreme temperatures and little to no precipitation (less than 10 inches of rain a year)

Example

The Gobi Desert

Islands

Small land masses not connected to any continent and surrounded on all sides by water

Example

Mackinac Island

Landforms

Ways in which the terrain of an area is shaped

Example

Mountain, Plateau, Canyon

Confederate States of America

An organization formed when South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas seceded from the Union. Ended after the Civil War.

Plateaus

An area of land that is relatively flat and that is higher than the land surrounding it

Compass Rose

Symbol on a map that indicates the four cardinal directions: north, south, east and west, to orient the reader

Arctic

The area north of the Arctic Circle

Human-Environment Interaction

The ways in which people and places interact with and influence each other. One of the 5 themes of geography.

Example

Early civilizations developed near rivers because of the need for a reliable water supply.

Non-Renewable Resources

resources which will be depleted faster than they can be replenished

Example

natural gas, petroleum

Longitude

The vertical lines of the grid system that converge at both poles and measure distance east and west of the Prime Meridian

Transition Zones

areas which exhibit characteristics similar to multiple regions around it

Example

US-Mexico border

Tropical Rainforest

An area with high temperature and precipitation year round. Often has high humidity.

Example

Amazon Rainforest

Mississippi River

A key physical feature of North America that runs from Minnesota into the Gulf of Mexico.

Key

image that explains any symbols found on the map or globe

Example

also known as a legend

Erosion

the slow wearing away of the surface of the land by wind or water

Example

wind erosion, water runoff

Pond

small body of still (unmoving) surface water

Example

Walden Pond

Absolute Location

the location of a given point that does not require another frame of reference. Absolute locations include coordinates or addresses while relative locations describe a point's location in relation to another point.

Example

Absolute Location: The city of london is located at 51.5°N and .13° W

Relative Location: London is in England.

Functional Regions

A region based on a shared service or purpose

Example

Zip Code Regions

Climate

a measure of an area's long-term weather patterns

Example

average temperature range in the Amazon Rainforest is 64 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit

Gulf Stream

a strong, warm current in the Atlantic Ocean which accelerates as it travels up the East Coast of North America and shoots out into the open ocean towards Europe

Sierra Nevada

The single largest mountain range in California; serves as a barrier between the Central Valley to the west and the Great Basin to the east

Hills

An area of land that rises higher than the land surrounding it

Marine

An area found in the middle latitudes in areas near or surrounded by water

Antarctic

The area south of the Antarctic Circle

Weather

a measure of an area's short-term atmospheric conditions

Example

70% chance of rain with a high of 80 degrees today

International Date Line

The longitudinal line (180 degrees) that separates two consecutive dates

Panama Canal

a man-made waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean

Tundra

An area with cold temperatures and little to no precipitation. Generally found near the poles.

Great Plains

Includes Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Montana. Features: hot summers and fertile prairie grassland. Economic activities: wheat agriculture.

Orographic Lift

A redirection of wind when it is forced upward to travel over the top of the mountain and then down the other side

Plate Tectonics

the large-scale movements of portions of the earth's crust over long periods of time

Ural Mountains

Mountain range that divides continental Europe from Asia.

Rocky Mountains

A 3000 mile mountain range stretching from British Columbia in Canada to New Mexico, and are the tallest mountains in North America.

Resource

any physical thing that is valued by people

Example

coal, wind, diamonds

Stream

a natural, flowing waterway; smaller than a river; composed of freshwater

Example

brook, creek, rivulet; Bird Creek is located in Northeast Oklahoma