Geography Terms

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Plains- a large flat area of land

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Lagoon-A body of water cut off from a larger body of water by a reef

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• Equator – an imaginary line that runs around the center of Earth, halfway between the North Pole and the South Poles at 0 degrees latitude

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• Absolute Location – description of a place using grid coordinates latitude and longitude

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• Arctic Circle – a line of latitude that runs through northern North America, northern Asia, and northern Europe (66.5 degrees N latitude)

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• Artesian Basin – land formed by underground water

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• Atoll – a circular reef formed when coral grows around an island, and that island sinks beneath the surface of the sea, partially surrounding a lagoon

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• Bar Scale – a graphic that compares the distance on a map to the actual distance it represents, as in one centimeter equals 100 kilometers

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• Strait – A narrow channel joining two larger bodies of water

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• Sea – a body of salt water that is part of an ocean, yet is partially enclosed by land

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• Mesa – a flat-topped hill with steep sides, larger than a column of rock

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• Inset Map – a small map set within the border of a larger one: also called a locator map

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• Dunes – a mound or ridge of windblown sand

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• Canadian Shield – a U-shaped region of ancient rock that curves around the Hudson Bay; southern part of the shield is thick with forests and the northern part is tundra

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• Canal – a waterway DUG across land through which ships can pass

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• Archipelago – a group of islands

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• Cape – a point of land that extends into a sea or an ocean

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• Cardinal Directions – the directions of north (N), south (S), east (E), and west (W)

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• Plateau – a flat-topped hill with steep sides; larger than a mesa

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• Compass Rose – a directional arrow that shows cardinal and sometimes intermediate directions on a map

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• Coordinates – the latitude and longitude address of a place on a map

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• Cultural Map – A map that shows patterns of ethnic groups, religious practices, languages spoken, educational levels, and recreational choices

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• Physical Map – a map that shows natural landforms and waterways on Earth’s surface

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• Delta – a triangular deposit of sand and soil that collects at the mouth of some rivers

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• Desert – a dry region with little or no rainfall

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• Harbor – a safe area of water where ships can dock or anchor safely

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• Elevation – the height of the land above sea level

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• Channel – a narrow deep waterway connecting two bodies of water OR the deepest part of a river or waterway

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• Erg – a vast sea of land that appears to have no end

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• Peninsula – a portion of land surrounded on three sides by water

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• Geographic Grid – the intersecting pattern formed by the lines of latitude an longitude

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• Grid – a pattern of lines that forms squares

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• Gulf – a large area of ocean that is partly surrounded by land; like the Gulf of Mexico shown on the left of the previous slide

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• History Map – a map that shows places or events from the past: historical map

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• Intermediate Directions – directions of northeast (NE), southeast (SE), northwest (NW), and southwest (SW), that are in between or in the middle of the cardinal directions

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• International Borders – a border between two or more countries

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• Isthmus – a narrow strip of land with water on each side that connects two larger bodies of land

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• Geopolitical Map – a map that shows political and physical features on one map (landforms and boundaries for examples)

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• Lines of Latitude or Parallel Lines – imaginary lines on earth that run parallel to the Equator and each other: they run east to west but measure the distances between places in degrees of North and South

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• Legend (key) – a list that explains the symbols shown on a map

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• Lines of Longitude or Meridian Lines – imaginary lines on Earth that run North to South but measure distances on Earth in degrees of East and West of the Prime meridian: these lines meet at the North and South Poles

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• Political Map – a map that shows human-made features and boundaries such as cities, highways, and countries

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• Port – a harbor where ships can dock or anchor safely

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• Mental Map – a map a person pictures in his or her mind

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• Mountain – any point of land that rises quickly to at least 1,000 feet above its surroundings

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• Mountain Peak – the summit or highest point of a mountain

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• Mountain Range – a group or chain of mountains

What am I?One is behind the other.

• Mountain System – a group of mountain ranges

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• Elevation Map – a map that shows the range of height above sea level

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• Oasis – a place in the desert where there is a source of water and where plants grow

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• Tributary – small river(s) or stream(s) that flow into a larger river

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• Relative Location – a description of a place using the relation of one place to another

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• River System – a river and the smaller streams that supply water to the river

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• Road Map – a map that indicates cities, highways, and points of interest and shows you how to get from one place to another

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• Source – the place where a river begins

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• Swamp – a wetland with trees, many plants, and animals

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• Sand Sea – a large area covered by sand and dunes

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• Basin – land drained by a river

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• Contiguous – sharing an edge or boundary; touching

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• Mouth – the part of a river where it empties into another body of water

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• Valley – the flat land between hills or mountains

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• Prime Meridian – an imaginary line that runs from the north Pole to the South Pole of Earth at 0 degrees longitude

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• Island – land surrounded on all sides by water

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• Marsh – a wetland that has few plants and animals

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• Volcano – a mountain of molten rock and lava that can overflow if it heats