Chapter 1 Vocabulary- World Geo

Source

- The place where a river begins is called its source. River sources are also calledheadwaters.

Bay

- a body of water partially surrounded by land. A bay is usually smaller and less enclosed than a gulf. The mouth of the bay, where meets the ocean or lake, is typically wider than that of a gulf.

Volcano-

- a feature in Earth's crust where molten rock is squeezed out onto the Earth's surface. This molten rock is called magma when it is beneath the surface and lava when it erupts, or flows out, from a volcano. Along with lava, volcanoes also release gases, ash, and solid rock.

Continental Divide

- a mountainous ridge on a continent. On one side of the divide, all the water generated from snowfall feeds into rivers that flow to an ocean, bay, or sea. The rivers on the other side of the divide feed into a different ocean, bay, or sea.

Beach

- a narrow, gently sloping strip of land that lies along the edge of an ocean, lake, or river. Materials such as sand, pebbles, rocks, and seashell fragments cover beaches.

Wetland/Marsh

- an area of land that is either covered by water or saturated with water. The water is often groundwater, seeping up from an aquifer or spring. A wetland's water can also come from a nearby river or lake. Seawater can also create wetlands, especially in coastal areas that experience strong tides

Mountain range

-a line of mountains connected by high ground.

Mouth-

The place where a river enters a lake, larger river, or the ocean is called its mouth. River mouths are places of much activity.

Island-

a body of land surrounded by water. Continents are also surrounded by water, but because they are so big, they are not considered islands. Australia, the smallest continent, is more than three times the size of Greenland, the largest island.

Harbor-

a body of water sheltered by natural or artificial barriers. Harbors can provide safe anchorage and permit the transfer of cargo and passengers between ships and the shore. A harbor is deep enough to keep ships from touching bottom and should give ships and boats enough room to turn and pass each other.

Lake-

a body of water that is surrounded by land. There are millions of lakes in the world. They are found on every continent and in every kind of environment—in mountains and deserts, on plains, and near seashores.

Plain-

a broad area of relatively flat land. Plains are one of the major landforms, or types of land, on Earth. They cover more than one-third of the world's land area. Plains exist on every continent.

Canyon-

a deep, narrow valley with steep sides. "Canyon" comes from the Spanish word cañon, which means "tube" or "pipe." The term "gorge" is often used to mean "canyon," but a gorge is almost always steeper and narrower than a canyon.

Basin-

a depression, or dip, in the Earth's surface. Basins are shaped like bowls, with sides higher than the bottom. They can be oval or circular in shape, similar to a sink or tub you might have in your own bathroom. Some are filled with water. Others are empty.

Sea- .

a division of the ocean that is enclosed or partly enclosed by land. For this reason, all seas are saline, or salty. Some seas are called bays (like the Bay of Bengal, between India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Indonesia), while some lakes are called seas (like the Caspian Sea, shared by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan). There are more than 50 seas on Earth

Plateau-

a flat, elevated landform that rises sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Plateaus occur on every continent and take up a third of the Earths land. They are one of the four major landforms, along with mountains, plains, and hills.

Mesa-

a flat-topped mountain or hill. It is a wide, flat, elevated landform with steep sides.

Tributary- .

a freshwater stream that feeds into a larger stream or river. The larger, or parent, river is called the mainstem. The point where a tributary meets the main stream is called the confluence. Tributaries, also called affluents, do not flow directly into the ocean

Archipelago-

a group of islands closely scattered in a body of water. Usually, this body of water is the ocean, but it can also be a lake or river.

Cape-

a high point of land that extends into a river, lake, or ocean. Some capes, such as the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, are parts of large landmasses. Others, such as Cape Hatteras in the U.S. state of North Carolina, are parts of islands.

Glacier-

a huge mass of ice that moves slowly over land. The term "glacier" comes from the French word glace (glah-SAY), which means ice. Glaciers are often called "rivers of ice."

Mountain-

a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area, usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. Mountains are formed through tectonic forces or volcanism.

Sound-

a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight, and wider than a fjord; or a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land.

River-

a large, natural stream of flowing water. Rivers are found on every continent and on nearly every kind of land. Some flow all year round. Others flow seasonally or during wet years. A river may be only kilometers long, or it may span much of a continent.

Valley- .

a low area between hills, often with a river running through it. In geology, a valley or dale is a depression that is longer than it is wide. The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys

Cliff-

a mass of rock that rises very high and is almost vertical, or straight up-and-down. Cliffs are very common landscape features. They can form near the ocean (sea cliffs), high in mountains, or as the walls of canyons and valleys. Waterfalls tumble over cliffs.

Strait-

a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water.

Isthmus-

a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses and separates two bodies of water.

Peninsula-

a piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water but is connected to the mainland on one side.

Hill-

a piece of land that rises higher than everything surrounding it. It looks like a little bump in the Earth. Since theyre higher than everything around them, hills are good places to get a nice view.

Gulf-

a portion of the ocean that penetrates land. Gulfs vary greatly in size, shape, and depth. They are generally larger and more deeply indented than bays. Like bays, they often make excellent harbors. Many important trading centers are located on gulfs.

Reef-

a ridge of material at or near the surface of the ocean. Reefs can occur naturally. Natural reefs are made of rocks or the skeletons of small animals called corals. Reefs can also be artificial—created by human beings.

Cove-

a type of small, sheltered bay on the coast of an ocean, lake, or river.

Ocean-

a very large expanse of sea, in particular, each of the main areas into which the sea is divided geographically.

Channel-

a wide strait or waterway between two landmasses that lie close to each other. A channel can also be the deepest part of a waterway, or a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water.

Oasis -

an area made fertile by a source of freshwater in an otherwise dry and arid region. Oases (more than one oasis) are irrigated by natural springs or other underground water sources. They vary in size from a cluster of date palms around a well or a spring to a city and its irrigated cropland. Dates, cotton, olives, figs, citrus fruits, wheat and corn (maize) are common oasis crops.

Stream-

any body of flowing fluid. The most familiar type of stream is made of water, although streams can also be made of air, lava, electricity, or any other fluid.

Desert-

areas that receive very little precipitation. People often use the adjectives "hot," "dry," and "empty" to describe deserts, but these words do not tell the whole story. Although some deserts are very hot, with daytime temperatures as high as 54°C (130°F), other deserts have cold winters or are cold year-round. And most deserts, far from being empty and lifeless, are home to a variety of plants, animals, and other organisms. People have adapted to life in the desert for thousands of years.

Continental Shelf- t

he edge of a continent that lies under the ocean. Continents are the seven main divisions of land on Earth. A continental shelf extends from the coastline of a continent to a drop-off point called the shelf break. From the break, the shelf descends toward the deep ocean floor in what is called the continental slope.

Escarpment- a

n area of the Earth where elevation changes suddenly. Escarpment usually refers to the bottom of a cliff or a steep slope. (Scarp refers to the cliff itself.)

Continent-

one of Earth's seven main divisions of land. The continents are, from largest to smallest: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.

Divide-

the elevated boundary separating areas that are drained by different river systems. For this reason, the feature is often called a drainage divide. Water flowing on one side of a divide empties into one body of water, while water flowing on the other side empties into another.

Coast-

the land along a sea. The boundary of a coast, where land meets water, is called the coastline.

Delta-.

wetlands that form as rivers empty their water and sediment into another body of water, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. Deltas can also empty into land, although this is less common