Pre-AP World Geography

Region

An area or division that has definable characteristics, but not always fixed boundaries.

Prime Meridian

A Longitude line that is 0 degrees. It also passes through Greenwich, England. The prime Meridian divides the Earth into two hemispheres. To the East of the prime Meridian is the Eastern hemisphere, and to the west is the Western hemisphere.

Human Geography

A branch of Geography that deals with the human race. Focusing on human communities, cultures, economies, and human interaction with the environment.

Physical Geography

A branch of Geography that deals with the study of processes and patterns of Earth.

Continent

A continent is a large land mass. There is no specific requirements for a landmass to be a continent, other than it must be massive in size. There are seven continents which are Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.

Landforms

A feature on the Earth's surface that is part of the terrain. Some different types of landforms include mountains, hills, plateaus, planes, canyons, and valleys.

Processes

A process in geography is the continual action that changes one landscape to another. There are two types of processes physical, and human. Physical processes are naturally occurring. One example of a physical process would be a volcano erupting and changing the landscape. One example of a human process would be a farmer planting the same crops in the same place year after year until the land is unfertile.

Tropics

A region of Earth surrounding the Equator. The tropics are in between the Northern Hemisphere tropic of Cancer at the latitude of 23 degrees 26'13.8" and the Southern Hemisphere tropic of Capricorn at the latitude of 23 degrees 26'13.8".

Map Projection

A representation of a three dimensional map of earth into a two dimensional map.

Spatial

A type of geographical analysis that tries to explain patterns of human behavior in terms of mathematics and geometry, which is locational analysis.

Tectonic Forces

The forces that drive tectonic plates to move. Which is the convection currents in earth's mantel.

Equator

The imaginary horizontal line located equally between the North and South poles. The Equator has a latitude of 0 degrees. Above the Equator is the Northern Hemisphere, and below the equator is the Southern Hemisphere.

Longitude

The imaginary lines that run vertically across the globe. Longitude is an angle that is 0 degrees at the poles and 90 degrees at the opposite sides of the world. Longitude specifies the East to West position of a point on Earth.

Patterns

The organization and placement of people and objects in the world. Patterns can also refer to the distance between them, or the distribution among them.

Soil Building Process

The soil building process is a process by which soil becomes fertile. First calcium ensures that the soil flocculates (meaning that the soil comes out of suspension as a loosely clumped mass of particles). This ensures that the soil does not compact which would make it hard for anything to grow. The excess calcium is used as a nutrient for plants. Then microbial lifeforms help plants grow and thrive. Finally dead microbial lifeforms called humus provides more nutrients for plants.

Climate

The typical weather conditions of an area. For example a rain forest climate is typically warm and humid.

Absolute Location

The use of latitude and longitude to pinpoint an object or person's exact location on Earth.

Cartography

Cartography is the study and process of creating maps. Likewise a Cartographer is a person who creates maps.

Geographic Features

Geographic features are human made or naturally occurring features of Earth. This includes landforms and ecosystems. Examples of geographic features include mountains, deserts, lakes, rivers, streams, hills, valleys, glaciers, craters, tundra, hot springs, volcanoes, canyons, waterfalls, bays, basins, oceans, marshes, seas, plains, forests, swamps, and jungles.

Geography

Geography is the study of the physical features of the Earth and Earth's atmosphere, as well as human activity, and how humans affect and are affected by the Earth.

Hemisphere

Half of the Earth. Usally divided by the Equator (the imaginary horizontal line dividing the north and south.) But the Hemisphere is sometimes also divided into East and west halves by an imaginary vertical line. We live in the Northern and Western Hemisphere.

Latitude

Latitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the north to south position of a point on Earth's surface. Latitude is an angle that ranges from 0 degrees at the equator to 90 degrees at the poles. On a map or globe latitude lines are horizontal.

Erosion

The action in which land and rocks are worn away. Erosion is often conducted through water, wind, or ice.

Relative Location

The location of a place relative to another place. For example the relative location of LaGrange, Texas is East of Austin, Texas. Or in this picture the relative location of the fast-food place is North of the orange house.