World Geography Basics

All flashcards in this deck

1. Front

   Continent

   Back

   A large continuous landmass on Earth.

2. Front

   How many continents are commonly taught?

   Back

   Seven.

3. Front

   Latitude

   Back

   Angular distance north or south of the Equator.

4. Front

   Longitude

   Back

   Angular distance east or west of the Prime Meridian.

5. Front

   Equator

   Back

   Imaginary line at 0 degrees latitude dividing north and south hemispheres.

6. Front

   Prime Meridian

   Back

   Imaginary line at 0 degrees longitude passing through Greenwich.

7. Front

   Hemisphere

   Back

   Half of Earth, such as Northern or Southern.

8. Front

   Tropic of Cancer

   Back

   Latitude line at about 23.5 degrees north.

9. Front

   Tropic of Capricorn

   Back

   Latitude line at about 23.5 degrees south.

10. Front

    Arctic Circle

    Back

    Latitude line near 66.5 degrees north.

11. Front

    Antarctic Circle

    Back

    Latitude line near 66.5 degrees south.

12. Front

    Map scale

    Back

    Relationship between distance on a map and actual ground distance.

13. Front

    Political map

    Back

    Map showing borders of countries and administrative units.

14. Front

    Physical map

    Back

    Map showing natural features such as mountains and rivers.

15. Front

    Topographic map

    Back

    Map using contour lines to show elevation.

16. Front

    Elevation

    Back

    Height above sea level.

17. Front

    Relief

    Back

    Difference in elevation across an area.

18. Front

    Plateau

    Back

    High flat area of land.

19. Front

    Delta

    Back

    Landform created by sediment deposition at a river mouth.

20. Front

    Peninsula

    Back

    Land surrounded by water on three sides.

21. Front

    Isthmus

    Back

    Narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas.

22. Front

    Archipelago

    Back

    Chain or group of islands.

23. Front

    Climate

    Back

    Long term pattern of weather in a region.

24. Front

    Weather

    Back

    Short term atmospheric conditions at a place and time.

25. Front

    Rain shadow

    Back

    Dry area on leeward side of a mountain range.

26. Front

    Monsoon

    Back

    Seasonal wind pattern linked to major rainfall changes.

27. Front

    Desert climate trait

    Back

    Very low precipitation.

28. Front

    Tundra climate trait

    Back

    Cold temperatures and short growing seasons.

29. Front

    Population density

    Back

    Number of people per unit area.

30. Front

    Urbanization

    Back

    Growth of population living in cities.

31. Front

    Migration

    Back

    Movement of people from one place to another.

32. Front

    Natural resource

    Back

    Material from nature used by people, such as water or minerals.

33. Front

    Renewable resource

    Back

    Resource replenished naturally on human timescales.

34. Front

    Nonrenewable resource

    Back

    Resource that forms slowly and can be depleted.

35. Front

    Most populous country by current estimates

    Back

    India.

36. Front

    Largest country by area

    Back

    Russia.

37. Front

    Most spoken first language globally

    Back

    Mandarin Chinese.

38. Front

    Global South concept

    Back

    A broad term for many lower and middle income regions outside the industrialized North.

39. Front

    Human geography

    Back

    Study of people, cultures, economies, and spatial patterns.

40. Front

    Physical geography

    Back

    Study of landforms, climate, water, and ecosystems.