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Geography Chapter 1

Terms in this set (37)

geography
the study of where people, places and things are located and how they relate to each other
GPS
global positioning system--network of 24 satellites orbiting the earth--provide info about location
GIS
geographic information systems--uses computer technology to collect, manipulate, analyze and display data about the earths surface in order to solve geographic problems
Geography's Five Themes
location, place, region, movement and human-environment interaction
absolute location
its exact position on the globe
found by the lines of latitude and longitude (meridians)
relative location
its position compared to other places. can be used when dealing with regions.
character of a place
consists of the place's physical and human characterisitics
physical characteristics
landforms, ecosystems, and climate.
human characteristics
humans: language? custom? live? work? economy?
perception
is a viewpoint that is influenced by one's own culture and experiences
formal regions
are areas in which certain characteristics are found throughout the area (states, countries, cities) all people are subject to the same law & ruled by the same gov't
functional regions
consists of a central place and the surrounding places affected by it. (marked by the movement/flow of something) Amazon river
perceptual regions
are defined by people's feelings and attitudes about areas. (midwest, east and the south)
movement
flow of goods, peoples and ideas that will move between them
human - environment interaction
how humans interact with their environment--can be negative or positive
(cutting down trees or leaving them?
core
or center, of the earth consists of very hot metal, mainly iron mixed with some metal
mantle
around the core, a layer of rock
crust
the rocky surface layer and is suprisingly thin
lithosphere
soil, rocks, landforms and other surface features
atmosphere
is the layer of the air, water and other substances above the surface
hydrosphere
consists of water in oceans, lakes and rivers and even under the ground
biosphere
the world of the plants, animals and other living things that occupy the land and waters of the planet.
plate tectonics
the earth's outer shell is not one solid sheet of rock
continental drift theory
Wegener proposed that there was once a single supercontinent Pangaea.
Ring of Fire
a circle of volcanoes surrounding the Pacific Ocean
hemispheres
halves--northern, western, eastern and southern hemispheres
sonar
stands for SOund, NAvigation, and Ranging, and analyzes sounds to determine distance and direction.
relief
landforms are usually classified by this--the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points.
landforms are shaped first by internal FORCES that originate in the earth's interior like...
volcanism (movement of magma or molten rock), movements that fold, lift, bend or break the rock of the earth's crust
what happens when rock layers bend and buckle?
the result is a fold
stresses on rocks cause
faults, breaks in the earth's crust
whether rock layers fault or fold is determined by the
hardness of the rock and the strength of the movement
seafloor spreading:
using sonar, scientists found landforms underwater closely resembles continental landforms like mountains, plains and deep canyons
rocks taken from the ocean floor were
much younger than those found on the continents...youngest found nearest the underwater ridge system (series of underwater mountains that extend around the world)
how do plates move?
convection: a circular movement caused when a material is heated, expands and rises, cools and falls (happens in the mantle)
when plates meet:
most restless place on earth.
plates can
spread apart, crash into each other or slide past each other.
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