Geography

and the United

StatesChapter 1

geography The study of our physical surroundings and how humans interact with them.

Often geography is used to mean the physical surroundings themselves, such as “the geography of the US.”

People who study geography care called geographers.

climate Aspects of

weather, such as

temperature,

rainfall, and wind

that are measured

over time in an

area.

globe

A sphere that is a

model Earth and

most accurately

represents it.

latitude An imaginary line

called a parallel that circles Earth from west to east.

Parallels of latitude measure in degrees how far north or south of the equator a place on Earth is located.

longitude An imaginary line called a meridian that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole.

A meridian of longitude measures in degrees how far east or west of the prime meridian a place on Earth is located.

geographic terms

A word that names

a landform or body

of water.

Examples of

geographic terms

include bay, sea,

peninsula, and

island.

physical features A part of Earth’s

surface that is a landmass or a body of water.

Physical features of the United States include the Rocky Mountains, the Mississippi River, and the Great Plains.

compass

A tool or instrument

for finding

directions by first

locating north.

compass rose

A circle showing

the principal

directions printed

on a map or chart.

Northern Hemisphere

The half of the

earth that is north

of the equator.

Southern Hemisphere

The half of the

earth that is south

of the equator.

Eastern Hemisphere

The half of the

earth that contains

Europe, Africa,

Asia, and Australia.

Western Hemisphere

The half of the

earth that contains

the Americas.

continents

Any of the world's main continuous expanses

of land (Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia,

Europe, North America, South America).

oceans

A very large expanse of sea, in particular,

each of the main areas into which the

sea is divided geographically: "the

Atlantic Ocean".

landforms

A physical feature

of Earth’s surface

such as a mountain

or a plain.

mountain range

A line of mountains

connected by high

ground.

source

A place, person, or

thing from which

something comes

or can be

obtained

valley

A low area of land

between hills or

mountains,

typically with a

river or stream

flowing through it.

mouth

The place where

the river empties

into another body

of water.

river

A large natural

stream of water

flowing in a

channel to the sea,

a lake, or another

stream.

cape

A narrow piece of

land that projects

from a coastline

into the sea.

plain

A large area of flat

land with few trees.

bay

A broad inlet of the

sea where the land

curves inward.

peninsula

island

A piece of land

surrounded by

water.

lake

A large body of water

surrounded by land: "boys were

swimming in the lake".

delta

A triangular tract of

sediment

deposited at the

mouth of a river.

tributary

A river or stream

flowing into a

larger river or lake.

gulf

A deep inlet of the

sea almost

surrounded by

land, with a narrow

mouth.

sea The expanse of salt

water that covers most of the earth's surface.

Seas are smaller than oceans and are usually located where the land and ocean meet.

Typically, seas are partially enclosed by land.

lowlands

Low-lying country