Geography+Study+Guide

=//"Geography: Tools and Concepts"//=

Study Guide - Vocabulary
Chapter 1 Section 1 1. geography-the study of Earth 2. latitude-east/west circles around the globe 3. parallels-a line of latitude 4. degrees-unit of measure used to determine absolute location 5. Equator-imaginary line that circles the globe at its widest point 6. longitude-north/south lines that circle the globe 7. meridian-lines of longitude 8. Prime Meridian-line of longitude that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole through Greenwich, England 9. plain-large area of flat or gently rolling land

Chapter 1 Section 2 1. globe-round model of the Earth that shows the continents and oceans and their true shapes 2. scale-the size of an area on a map as compared to the area's actual size 3. distortion-misrepresentation of the original shape; each map has distortion 4. projection-representation of the Earth's rounded surface on a flat piece of paper 5. compass rose-map feature that usually shows the four cardinal directions 6. cardinal direction-one of the four compass points; north, south, east, and west 7. key-section of the map that explains the symbols for the map features; a legend

Chapter 2 Section 1 1. orbit-the path followed by an object in space as it moves around another, such as that moves of the Earth that moves around the Sun 2. revolution-one complete orbit of the Earth around the sun ; the Earth completes one revolution every 365 1/4 days or one year 3. axis- an imaginary line around which a planet turns;the Earth turns around its axis, which run between the north and south poles 4. rotation-the spinning motion of the Earth, like a top on its axis ;the earth takes about 24 hours to rotate one tim 5. low latitudes-the region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn 6.high latitudes-the regions between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole and the Antarctic Circle and the South Pole 7. middle latitudes-the regions between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle

Chapter 2 Section 2 1. landform-an area of the Earth's surface with a definite shape 2. mountain- a landform that usually rises more than 2000 ft (610 m) above sea level and is wide at the bottom and narrow at the peak 3. hill- a landform that rises above the surrounding land and that has a rounded top 4. plateau- a large mostly flat area that rises above the surrounding land 5. plain- a large area of flat or gently rolling land, often near a coast 6. plate techtonics-the theory that the Earth's crust is made of huge, slowly moving slabs of rock called plates 7. plate- in geography, a huge section of the Earth's crust 8. weathering- the breaking down of rocks by wind, rain, or ice 9. erosion- a process by which water, wind, or ice ears away landforms and carries the material to another place 10. atmosphere- the multi-layered band of gases that surrounds the Earth

Chapter 2 Section 3 1. weather-the condition of the bottom layer of the earth's atmosphere in one place over a short period of time. 2. temperature-the degree of hotness or coldness of something,such as water or air,usually measured with a thermometer. 3. precipitation-all the forms of water, such as rain, sleet, hail, and snow that falls to the ground from the atmosphere. 4. climate-the weather patterns that an area typically experiences over a long period of time.

Chapter 2 Section 4 1. vegetation-the plants in an area 2. canopy-a layer of branches and leaves at the tops of the trees in a forest 3. tundra-region where temperatures are always cool and cold and where only certain plants, such as low grasses, can grow 4. vertical climate-the overall weather patterns of a region influenced by elevation; the higher the elevation, the colder the climate

Chapter 3 Section 1 1. population- the people living in a particular region; especially the total number of people in an area 2. population distribution- how a population is spread over an area 3. demographer- a scientist who studies human populations, including their size; growth; density; distribution; and rates of births, marriages, and deaths 4. population density- the average number of people living in a given area

Chapter 3 Section 2 1. birthrate-the number of people live births each year per 1,000 people 2. death rate-the number pf deaths each year per 1,000 people 3. life expectancy-the number of years that a person may be expected, on average, to live 4. Green Revolution-changes in agriculture since the 1950s that have greatly increased the words foods supply

Chapter 3 Section 3 1. migration-movement of people from one country or region to another in order to make a new home 2. immigrant-a person who moves to a new country in order to settle there 3. "push-pull" theory-theory of migration that says people migrate because certain things in their lives 'pull' them to leave, and certain things in a new place 'pull' them 4. urbanization-the growth of city populations caused by the movement of people to cities 5. rural area-an area with low population density, such as a village or the countyside 6. urban area-an area with a high population density; a city or a town

Chapter 4 Section 1 1. culture-the way of life of people who share similar customs and beliefs 2. cultural trait-a behavioral characteristic of a people, such as a language, skill, or custom, passed from one generation to another 3. technology-tools and the skills that people need to use them; the practical use of scientific skills, especially in industry 4. cultural landscape-a landscape that has been changed by human beings and reflects their culture 5. agriculture-farming; includes rowing crops and raising live stock

Chapter 4 Section 2 1. social structure-the ways in which people within a culture are organized into smaller groups 2. nuclear family-a family unit that includes a mother a father and children 3. extended family-a family unit that may include parents grandparents aunts uncles cousins and other relatives 4. ethics-the standards or code that distinguishes between right and wrong for a particular person religion group profession and so on

Chapter 4 Section 3 1. economy-system for producing, distributing, consuming, and owning goods, services, and wealth 2. producer-person who makes products that are used by other people 3. goods-products that are made to be sold 4. services-work done or duties performed for other people, such as the work of a doctor of TV repair person 5. consumer-person who buys goods and services 6. capitalism-economic system in which people and privately owned companies own both basic and non-basic businesses and industries 7. socialism-economic system in which the government owns most basic industries, such as transportation, communications, and banking; nonbasic industries are privately owned 8. communism-economic system in which the government owns all businesses and industries 9. government-the system that establishes and enforces the laws and institutions of society 10. direct democracy-system of government in which the people participate directly in decision making 11. monarchy-system of authoritarian government headed by a monarch-who inherits the throne by birth 12. constitution-set of laws that defines and limits a government's power 13. representative democracy-system of governement in which the people elect representatives to run the affairs of the country 14. dictator-ruler who has complete power over a country

Chapter 4 Section 4 1. cultural diffusion-the movement of customs and ideas from one culture to another 2. acculturation-the process of accepting, borrowing, and exchanging ideas and traits among cultures

Chapter 5 Section 1 1. natural resources-any useful material found in the environment 2. raw material-resource or material that is still in its natural state, before being processed or manufactured into a useful product 3. recyclable resource-resource that cycles through natural processes in the environment; water, nitrogen, and carbon 4. renewable resource-natural resource that the environment continues to supply or replace as it is used; trees and water 5. nonrenewable resource-resources that when used up cannot be replace; most nonliving things such as minerals, coal, natural gas, and oil 6. fossil fuel-any one of several nonrenewable resources such as coal, oil, or natural gas, created from the remains of plants and animals

Chapter 5 Section 2 1. manufacturing-process of turning raw materials into finished product 2. developed nation-modern industrial society with a well-developed economy 3. developing nation-country with relatively low industrial production, often lacking modern technology 4. commercial farming-farming that is done by companies; commercial farms are large and use modern technology; also raising of crops and livestock for sale in outside markets 5. subsistence farming-farming that provides only enough food and animals for the needs of a family and village 6. plantation-large estate, usually in a warm climate, on which crops are grown by workers living there; usually grow a single crop for export 7. foreign aid-economic and military aid to another country

Chapter 5 Section 3 1. ecosystem-community of living things and their environment; the elements of an ecosystem interact with each other 2. deforestration-process of clearing land of forests and trees, usually to make room for farms and homes 3. habitat-the are in which a plang or animal naturally grows or lives 4. acid rain-rain whose high levels of chemicals can pollute or damage the environment 5. ozone layer-layer of gas in the upper part of the atmosphere that blocks our most of the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays 6. global warming-slow increase of the Earth's temperature due to the increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere 7. recycle-to reuse materials to make new products