World Geography Chapters 1-4: The Basics of Geography: Only Words for Final Flashcards

1982727405	Absolute location	n. the exact place on earth where a geographic feature is found.	0
1982727406	Relative location	n. describes a place in relation to other places around it.	1
1982727407	Equator	n. the imaginary line that encircles the globe, dividing the earth into northern and southern halves.	2
1982727408	Prime meridian	n. the imaginary line at zero meridian used to measure longitude east to west, and dividing the earth's east and west halves; also called Greenwich Meridian because it passes through Greenwich, England.	3
1982727409	Latitude	n. a set of imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator, and that are used in locating places north or south. The equator is labeled the zero-degree line for latitude.	4
1982727410	Longitude	n. a set of imaginary lines that go around the earth over the poles, dividing it east and west. The prime meridian is labeled the zero-degree line for longitude.	5
1982727411	Hemisphere	n. each half of the globe.	6
1982727412	Globe	n. a three-dimensional representation of the earth.	7
1982727413	Topographic map	n. a general reference map; a representation of natural and man-made features on earth.	8
1982727414	Core	n. the earth's center, made up of iron and nickel; the inner core is solid, and the outer core is liquid.	9
1982727415	Lava	n. magma that has reached the earth's surface.	10
1982727416	Lithosphere	n. the solid rock portion of the earth's surface.	11
1982727417	Seismograph	n. a device that measures the size of the waves created by an earthquake.	12
1982727418	Ring of Fire	n. the chain of volcanoes that lines the Pacific Rim.	13
1982727419	Epicenter	n. the point on the earth's surface that corresponds to the location in the earth where an earthquake happens.	14
1982727420	Chemical weathering	n. a process that changes rock into a new substance through interactions among elements in the air or water and the minerals in the rock.	15
1982727421	Delta	n. a fan-like landform made of deposited sediment, left by a river that slows as it enters the ocean.	16
1982727422	Moraine	n. a ridge or hill of rock carried and finally deposited by a glacier.	17
1982727423	Drought	n. a long period without rain or with very minimal rainfall.	18
1982727424	Tornado	n. a powerful funnel-shaped column or spiraling air.	19
1982727425	Hurricane	n. a storm that forms over warm, tropical ocean waters.	20
1982727426	Permafrost	n. permanently frozen ground.	21
1982727427	Convection	n. the transfer of heat in the atmosphere by upward motion of the air.	22
1982727428	Biome	n. a regional ecosystem.	23
1982727429	Deciduous	adj. a named characteristic of broadleaf trees, such as maple, oak, birch, and cottonwood.	24
1982727430	Coniferous	adj. another word for needleleaf trees.	25
1982727431	Chaparral	n. a scrubland shaped by a Mediterranean climate.	26
1982727432	Steppe	n. the term used for the temperate grassland region in the Northern Hemisphere.	27
1982727433	Innovation	n. taking existing elements of society and creating something new to meet a need.	28
1982727434	Birthrate	n. the number of live births per total population, often expressed per thousand population.	29
1982727435	Fertility rate	n. the average number of children a woman of childbearing years would have in her lifetime, if she had children at the current rate for her children.	30
1982727436	Rate of natural increase	n. also called population growth rate--the rate at which population is growing, found by subtracting the mortality rate from the birthrate.	31
1982727437	Population pyramid	n. a graphic device that shows gender and age distribution of a population.	32
1982727438	Command economy	n. a type of economic system in which production of goods and services is determined by a central government, which usually owns the means of production. Also called a planned economy.	33
1982727439	Market economy	n. a type of economic system in which the production of goods and services is determined by the demand of the consumers. Also called a demand economy or capitalism.	34
1982727440	Dictatorship	n. a type of government in which an individual or a group holds complete political power.	35
1982727441	Democracy	n. a type of government in which citizens hold political power either directly or through elected representatives.	36
1982727442	Infrastructure	n. the basic support systems needed to keep an economy going, including power, communications, transportation, water, sanitation, and education systems.	37
1982727443	Free enterprise	n. an economic system in which private business operates in competition and largely free of state control.	38
1982727444	Columbian Exchange	n. the widespread transfer of animals, plants, culture, human populations, communicable diseases, technology and ideas between the American and Afro-Eurasian hemispheres in the 15th and 16th centuries.	39
1982727445	Multinationals	n. a company operating in several countries.	40
1982727446	Metropolitan area	n. a functional area including a city and its surrounding suburbs and exurbs, linked economically.	41