Basic Geography Vocabulary List

acid rain

Rain that contains pollutants due to the burning of fossil fuels. It is damaging to the environment.

adaptation

A change made to survive an environment or to overcome a disadvantage.

arable

Land that is able to support the growing of crops.

archipelago

A group or chain of islands.

Aswan High Dam

Dam across the Nile River in Egypt. Created Lake Nassar and helps to create more farmland. Built between 1960 and 1970.

Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Accident

(1986) This accident release large amounts of radiation that not only affected the immediate area, (Ukraine,) but also was carried on strong winds across many countries in Europe. The effects of this accident have to date been an increase in cancer victims, numerous birth defects, and the destruction of many acres of good land.

chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)

A gas containing carbon, hydrogen, chlorine, and fluorine. It is used in refrigerators and aerosol sprays. CFCs are reputed to be damaging to the Earth’s protective ozone layer.

circumnavigate

To travel around something, like an island or the world.

climate

The average weather in a region.

dam

A structure built to hold water in place.

deforestation

The widespread destruction of the world's forests. One of the largest areas of destruction are the tropical rainforests. These forest are cut down for the hardwood lumber, to clear space for farming, for building settlements, and for grazing animals. land bridge

desertification

The process in which land slowly dries out until little or no vegetation exists becoming a desert.

environment

Everything in nature including people, plants, and animals that affects development in life.

ethnocentric

A belief in the superiority of a certain ethnic group or race.

extinction

The death of all members of a species.

Ganges River

Located in India, this river is considered sacred to Hindus and is used for spiritual cleansing, funeral rites, and other Hindu rituals.

greenhouse gas

A gas such as carbon dioxide, ozone, or water vapor that are a factoring the warming of the Earth’s atmosphere.

human and physical geography

The study of the environment, people, and the resources they use to live.

hydroelectric power

Power that is derived from a moving body of water, such as a river or waterfall.

latitudeLines of equal distance measured north and south of the equator.

longitudeThe curving distance east or west of the prime meridian that stretches from the North Pole to the South Pole.

migration

The mass movement of people from one area to another.

natural resources

Various materials found in nature used in manufacturing such as wood, coal, and oil.

ozone layer

The layer of the upper atmosphere where ozone collects. This layer absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

Panama Canal

A canal that crosses the isthmus of Panama connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Built by the United States between 1904 and 1914.

pesticides

Chemicals used to destroy insects and other pests.

Peninsula

Land surrounded by three (3) sides of water.

resources

An asset that is beneficial to a country or people.

river

A moving body of water that usually has its source in an area of high ground.

river delta

The end of a river where rich deposits of silt build up. This is important to human habitation due to the excellent source of good farmland.

river valley

A valley that is carved out by the river. Often have fertile land, and are the sites for the earliest civilizations.

Sahara Desert

The world’s largest desert, located in North Africa.

silt

Very fine grains of dirt deposited by a moving body of water.

terrace farming

The cutting out of flat areas (terraces) into near vertical slopes to allow farming. Terrace farms appears as steps cut into a mountainside. This adaptation allowed both the early Chinese, and the Inca of Mesoamerica to grow enough food for their large populations.

Three Gorges Dam

A dam across the Yangtze River in China.