World geo

What are the people who make maps called?

Cartographers

What are the 3 types of regions?

formal, functional, perceptual

What is distortion?

cartographers converting the 3D globe onto a flat map and the curves becoming straight

What is the name of the line of longitude that divides the Earth into the Western and Eastern Hemispheres?

Prime Meridian

What is relative location?

describes a place in comparison to other places around it; "The hospital is northeast of STM"

What is a physical map?

a map that shows landforms, bodies of water, and other natural features; shows location and topography of the Earth's land features; highlight relief

Which projection shows Earth centered to where a straight line coming from the center to any other point represents the shortest distance?

Planar Projection

What is a political map?

Provides the boundaries and locations of political units such as countries, states, counties, cities, capitals, and towns; majority of features are human made

What are 3 geospatial technologies?

GIS, remote sensing, GPS

Which line of latitude represents 0 degrees latitude?

Equator

Why do planets revolve around the sun?

the sun's enormous mass that creates a strong pull of gravity keeping planets in orbit

How many regular planets does the solar system have?

8

What are meteoroids?

pieces of space debris made up of chunks of rock and iron (burn up before hitting Earth's surface)

How do meteoroids differ from meteorites in space?

meteorites actually collide with Earth's surface

Hydrosphere

The oceans, lakes, rivers, underground water, and other bodies of water that make up a part of the Earth

Highest point on earth

Mount Everest

deepest known depression on earth

Mariana Trench

Core

innermost layer of the Earth made up of a super-hot but solid inner core and a super-hot liquid outer core

mantle

thick middle layer of the Earth's interior structure consisting of hot rock that is dense but flexible

crust

outer layer of the Earth, a hard rocky shell forming Earth's surface

weathering

The chemical and physical processes that break down rock at Earth's surface

How is weathering different than erosion?

erosion is the movement of weathered rock by wind and water

Continental Drift Theory

the idea that continents slowly shift their positions due to movement of the tectonic plates on which they ride

Glaciers

A large body of ice that moves across the surface of the Earth

Wind and water

two major external forces that change the Earth's surface

Why do all places on Earth not receive the same amount of direct sunlight?

tilt of the axis and revolution

Midnight Sun

continuous daylight, a time when the sun is visible at midnight during the summer in either the Arctic or Antarctic Circle

Greenhouse Effect

The term used to describe the capacity of certain gases in the atmosphere to trap heat, thereby warning the Earth

How does elevation affect temperature?

The Earth's atmosphere thins as latitude increase, and less dense air retains less heat; as elevation increases, temperature decreases

Coriolis effect

Direction of prevailing winds in affected by Earth's movement; causes prevailing winds to blow diagonally

What happens in an El Nino year?

A periodic change in the pattern of ocean currents, water temperatures, and weather in the mid-Pacific region; normally low atmospheric pressure over the western pacific is replaced by higher pressure (changes wind patterns and ocean currents)

Vegetation of the Tropical Rainforest

Full of thick vegetation that grows in layers with tall trees forming a canopy over shorter ones

Desert climate

Extremely dry areas that receive only about 10 inches of rainfall or less a year; little animal and plant life; some underground springs undergo oasis; temps vary widely from day to night

Tundra climate

Found closer to Poles; winter darkness and bitter cold lasts for months while summer has limited warming; trees can not establish roots; layer of thawed soil is thinner than subarctic

cultural diffusion

the spread of cultural elements from one society to another

How many people currently live on Earth?

7 billion

zero population growth

when the birth rate equals the death rate

negative population growth

when the death rate exceeds the birth rate

population distribution

the variations in population that occur across a country, a continent, or the world

urbanization

resulting growth of city populations brought by migration

Theocracy

A divine power is thought to be the head of the government (Islamic sharia law is imposed in parts of North Africa today)

Autocracy

Any system of government in which the power and authority to rule belongs to a single individual (dictatorship)

Oligarchy

A government ruled by a few powerful people

Missouri river

the longest river in the United States

Rocky Mountains

Longest mountain range in North America

Great Plains

Vast amounts of semiarid grassland; have an area of approximately 1,125,000 square miles; covers parts of 10 U.S. states

Great Salt Lake

Largest saltwater lake in North America; found in Utah

5 Great Lakes

Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior

Lake Superior

the largest freshwater lake in the world (and great lake)

Yukon River

played an important transportation role during Klondike Gold Rush

Columbia River

has 19 hydroelectric dams that provide electricity

Which two states does the Columbia River run through?

Canada to Oregon

Grand Canyon

created due to erosion caused by the Colorado River

Mojave Desert

smallest and driest desert in the United States

New Orleans

city located on the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain

Atlas Mountains

Africa's longest mountain range

Nile River

longest river in the world

Meditrranean Sea

A sea that divides Africa and Europe

Niger River

main artery in western africa

Sahara Desert

a savannah of grasslands between 9000 and 4000 BC

Khartoum

where the Blue and White Nile Rivers meet (capitol of Sudan)

Why were the pyramids built?

tombs for pharaohs

Eastern and Western Rift Valley

two branches of the Great Rift Valley

Mount Kilimanjaro

Africa's highest mountain

Serengeti Plain

A vast ecosystem of grassy plains that spans 12,000 square miles; known for huge herds of plain animals

Two biggest agricultural exports in East Africa

coffee and cotton

Desertification

Occurs when areas of fertile land become increasingly arid; caused by human and environmental factors such as drought and poor farming

What disease has turned into an epidemic in East Africa?

AIDS

How many elephants are killed a year from poaching?

80,000

Why do rhinos face extinction?

Because of the demand for their horns, which are used in traditional Asian medicines

Cacao

most common and vital cash crop found in West Africa

Nigeria

projected to have 400 million people by 2050 and become the world's third-most populous country ahead of the U.S.

Lagos

Largest city in Nigeria

ECOWAS

Group of 15 countries founded in 1975 to promote economic integration across West Africa (regional trade association)

Mount Cameroon

largest and only active volcano in the Cameroon Highlands

sources of poor sanitation in West Africa

Lack of indoor plumbing; open defecation; spread of diseases; lack of adequate health care; no good areas to dispose trash

4 common West African languages

English, French, Arabic, Yoruba

Ghana

West African country that has experienced the most success in education

great circle route

Mark the shortest distance that an object can travel between 2 points

Globe

A scale model of the Earth that depicts properties such as area, distance, and direction

Longitude

Distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees; runs north to south

Latitude

Distance north or south of the equator (parallel)

Equator

Divides the Earth in half, creating Northern and Southern Hemispheres

Erosion

The movement of weathered rock and material by wind, glaciers, and moving water

plate tectonics

The term scientists use to describe the activities of continental drift and magma flow, which create many of Earth's physical features

continental drift

The theory that the continents were once joined and then slowly drifted apart

Climate

Weather patterns typical for an area over a long period of time

Weather

Condition of the atmosphere in one place during a short period of time

greenhouse effect

The capacity of certain gases in the atmosphere to trap heat, thereby warming the Earth

El Nino

A periodic reversal of the pattern of ocean currents and water temperatures in the mid-pacific region

population density

The average number of people living on a square mile or square kilometer of land

Nomad

A member of wandering pastoral people

Nationalism

A belief in the right of a nation to be an independent state

subsistence farming

Occurs when a farmer's family consumes most of what is produced and then the rest is sold at market

nuclear family

A family unit made up of a husband, wide, and children

map title

tells the subject of the map

compass rose

A tool on a map showing cardinal (N,E,S,W) and intermediate (NE,SE,NW,SW) directions.

map legend (key)

a box or other display on a map that explains the meaning of the symbols used on the map

Line symbols

Represent features such as roads, rivers and railway lines

map scale

The relationship between the size of an object on a map and the size of the actual feature on Earth's surface