Geography Terms

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1. absolute location: the exact location of a place on Earth using 29. reef: a submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of
degrees north or south of the equator and east or west of the the water
prime meridian 30. relative location: the position of a place in relation to another
2. archipelago: a group or chain of islands place
3. canal: long and narrow strip of water made for boats or for 31. reservoir: lake used to store water for community use
irrigation 32. rural: relating to farm areas and life in the country
4. canyon: deep and narrow valley with steep walls 33. sea: a body of salt water that is partly enclosed by land
5. cape: a strip of land projecting into a body of water 34. strait: a narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of
6. cartography: the making of maps and charts water
7. compass rose: A tool on a map showing cardinal (N,E,S,W) 35. subsistence farming: farming in which only enough food to
directions feed one's family is produced
8. delta: flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried downstream 36. topography: physical features of a region
by a river and deposited at its mouth 37. tributary: small stream or river that flows into a larger river
9. equator: an imaginary line at 0 degrees latitude that circles the 38. urban: having to do with cities or towns
earth from east to west and divides the planet into northern
39. valley: area of low land between hills or mountains
and southern hemispheres.
40. wetland: A land area that is covered with a shallow layer of
10. estuary: the area where a freshwater stream or river merges
water during some or all of the year.
with the ocean
11. glacier: a large ice mass that moves slowly down a mountain or
over land
12. gulf: an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land
13. hemisphere: one half of the earth
14. indigenous: native to a certain area
15. isthmus: a relatively narrow strip of land (with water on both
sides) connecting two larger land areas
16. landlocked: surrounded entirely or almost entirely by land
17. latitude: distance measured in degrees north and south of the
equator.
18. longitude: distance measured in degrees east or west of the
prime meridian.
19. map key: an explanation of what the symbols on a map
represent
20. migration: the movement of persons from one country or
locality to another
21. oasis: a fertile area of land in a desert (where the water table
approaches the surface)
22. peninsula: land surrounded by water on three sides
23. plain: area of level land, usually at low elevation and often
covered with grasses
24. plateau: an area of high, flat land
25. prime meridian: an imaginary line at 0 degrees longitude that
circles the planet from north to south and divides the earth
into western and eastern hemispheres.
26. pull factors: positive conditions and perceptions that
effectively attract people to new locations from other areas
27. push factors: negative conditions and perceptions that compel
people to leave their homes and migrate to a new location
28. range: a series of hills or mountains