| Term | Definition |
|---|
| plate tectonics | the theory that continents rest on large plates |
| continental drift | theory that seven continents slowly drift apart is called |
| Panama | narrow strip of land that stretches from southern Mexico to nothern Columbia |
| isthmus | a narrow strip of land bordered by water that connects two larger strips of land |
| Greenland | world's largest island |
| archipelagoes | groups of islands |
| Caribbean Islands | group of islands located between North America and South America |
| Middle America | Mexico, Carribean Islands and Central America |
| Amazon | longest river in the western hemisphere |
| Mississippi | second longest river in the western hemisphere |
| tributary | a river or stream that flows into a larger body of water |
| Great Lakes | group of five freshwater lakes located on the border of U.S. and Canada |
| elevation | height above sea level |
| Mt. Aconcongua | tallest mountain in the Americas |
| environment | the land, water, plants and animals found in an area |
| climate | weather patterns over a long period of time |
| precipitation | any form of water such as hail, rain, or snow that falls to the ground |
| tropical region | the areas that lie in the low latitudes between the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn where temperature are very warm all year |
| polar region | the coldest climates found in high latitudes near the poles |
| temperate region | the climate zone that is cool in the winter and warm in the summer, located in the middle latitudes "just right" |
| current | a portion of a body of water or air that flows continously in approximately the same path |
| natural resource | things found in nature that are useful to people |
| minerals | natural substances that are reached by mining, or digging into the earth |
| vegetation | an important natural resource of the western hemisphere |
| renewable resources | resources that can replace or rebuild themselves |
| pollution | damages or makes resources dirty |
| extinct | term that means plants and animals have died out |
| nonrenewable resources | resources that can never be replaced or renewed |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace