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History Mid-Year Exam

Terms in this set (104)

Geography
the study of where people,places, and things are located and how they relate to each other
GIS
A geographic information system uses computer technology to collect,manipulate, analyze, and display data about the earth's surface in order to save geographic problems
Absolute location
the position on the earth in which a place can be found
Hemisphere
A half of the earth; the Equator divides the Northern and Southern hemispheres; the Prime Meridian divides Eastern and Western hemisphere
relative location
the position of a place in relation to another place
character of a place
the physical and human characteristics that help to distinguish a place from other places
perception
A viewpoint that is influenced by one's own culture and experiences
Formal Region
a group of places that have similar attributes
functional region
a group of places connected by movement
perceptual region
a group of places that is defined by people's feelings and attitudes
core
the earth's center, consisting of very hot metal
mantle
a thick layer of mostly solid rock beneath the earth's crust
crust
the solid rocky surface layer of the earth.
lithosphere
the surface features of the earth including soil, rocks, and land forms.
atmosphere
the layer of gases, water vapor, and other substances above the earth
hydrosphere
the water contained in oceans, lakes,rivers, and under the ground
biosphere
the world of plants, animals, and other living things in the earth's land, and waters.
continent
any of the seven large landmasses of the earth's surface. They are Africa, Antarctica,Asia,Australia,Europe, North America, and South America
relief
the differences in elevation of the land forms in an area
Plate Tectonics
the theory that the Earth's outtershell is composed of a number of large unanchored plates, who's constant movement explains earthquakes, and volcanic activity
continental dift theory
the idea that continents slowly shift their positions due to movement of the techtonic plates on which they ride
ring of fire
A ring of volcanic mountains surrounding the Pacific Ocean
weathering
the chemical or mechanical process by which rock is gradually broken down, eventually becoming soil
mechanical weathering
the actual breaking up or physical weakening of rocks by forces such as ice, and rods
chemical weathering
the process by which the actual chemical structure of rock is changed usually when water and carbon dioxide cause a breakdown of the rock
acid rain
rain whose high concentrations of chemicals, usually form industrial pollution, pollutes water, kills plants, and animal life, and eats away the surface of stone and rock; a form of chemical weathering
erosion
the movement of weathered materials, including gravel,soil, and sand, usually caused by water,wind and glaciers
sediment
particles of soil, sand, and gravel carried and deposited by wind, or water
loess
Fine-grained =, mineral-rich loam, dust, or silt deposited by the wind
glacier
A huge, slow moving, mass of snow and ice
moraine
a ridge like mass of rock, gravel, sand, and clay carried and deposited by a glacier
eycosystem
the interaction of plant life, animal life, and the environment in which they live
biome
the term used to describe a major type of eycosystem that can be found in various regions throughout the world
deciduous
Leaf shedding; a type of tree that sheds
coniferous
Cone bearing; a type of tree that is able to survive long, cold winters, with long, thin, needles rather than leaves
chaparral
a type of natural vegetation that is adapted to Mediterranean climate;small evergreen trees, low bushes, or scrub
Savannah
A tropical grassland with scattered trees,locate in the warm lands near the Equator
herbivore
a plant eating animal
carnivore
a meat eating animal
prairie
a temperate grassland characterized by a great variety of grasses
tundra
a region where temperatures are always cool and cold and only specialized plants can grow
Permafrost
a layer of soil just below the earth's surface that stays permanently frozen
weather
the condition of the bottom layer of the Earth's atmosphere in one place over a short period of time
climate
the term used for the weather patterns that an area typically experiences over a long period of time
rotation
the spinning motion of the Earth, like a top on it's axis, as it travels through space
revolution
one complete orbit of the Earth around the sun. The Earth completes one revolution every 365 and 1/4 days, or one year
solstice
either of the two times a year when the sun appears directly overhead at the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn
equinox
either of the two times each year (spring and fall) when day and night are nearly of equal length everywhere on Earth
precipitation
All the forms of water that fall to Earth from the Atmosphere, including rain and snow
front
the boundary between two masses of air that differ in density or temperature
continental climate
the type of climate found in the great central areas of continents in the Northern Hemisphere; characterized by cold, snowy winter, and warm, hot summers
culture
the way of life that distinguishes a people , for example government, language, religion, customs, and beliefs
population density
the average number of people living in a given area
birthrate
the number of live births each year per 1,000 people
immigrant
a person who moves into a country
emigrant
a person who leaves a country to live elsewhere
urbanization
the growth of city populations
rural
Of, or characteristic of the countryside
cultural hearth
a place in which important ideas begin and there after spread to surrounding cultures
cultural convergence
the contact and interaction of one culture with another
diffusion
the process by which a cultural element is transmitted from one group of individual to another
cultural divergence
the restriction of a culture from outside influences
sovereignty
A country's freedom and power to decide
unitary system
a system of government in which one central government holds most of the political power
federation
a government structure in which some powers are given the national government and other powers are reserved for a more local government
confederation
a system of government in which individual political units keep their sovereignty but give limited power to a central government
authoritarian
descriptive of a system of government in which the leaders hold all political power
dictatorship
a system of government in which absolute power is held by a small group or one person
totalitarianism
a system of government in which a central authority controls all aspects of society
monarchy
a system of authoritarian government headed by a monarch-a king, queen, shah, or sultan-whose position is usually inherited
democracy
a system of government in which the people are invested with the power to choose their leaders and determine government policy
traditional economy
an economic system in which families produce goods and services for their own use,with little surplus and exchange of goods; also know as a subsistence economy
market economy
an economic system in which decisions about production,price, and other economic factors are determined by the law of supply and demand
command economy
an economic system that is controlled by a single central government
natural resource
a material in the natural environment that people value and use to satisfy their needs
renewable resource
a natural resource that the environment continues to supply or replace as it is used
nonrenewable resource
a natural resource that cannot be replaced once it is used
fossil fuel
any one of several nonrenewable mineral resources formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals and animals and used for fuel
nuclear energy
electricity that is created by nuclear power
water power
energy produced from falling water to move machinery or generate electricity
geothermal energy
energy produced from the earth's intense interior heat
solar energy
energy produced by the sun
primary economic activity
an economic activity that takes place or uses natural resources directly, such as fishing or mining
subsistence farming
farming that provides only enough for the needs of a family of village
commercial farming
the raising of crops and livestock for sale in the markets
secondary economic activity
an economic activity in which people use raw materials to produce or manufacture new products of greater value
cottage industry
a small scale manufacturing operation using little technology, often located in or near people's homes
commercial industry
a large scale manufacturing operation that employs many people and produces large quantities of goods
tertiary economic activity
an economic activity in which people do not directly gather or process raw materials but pursue activities that serve others; service industry
quanterary economic activity
an economic activity that focuses on the acquisition, processing, and sharing of information, such as education or research n
export
an item that is sent out of the country for sale
import
an item that is brought into the country for sale
Gross National Product
(GNP) the total value of a nation's goods and services including the output of domestic firms in foreign countries and excluding the domestic output of foreign firms
canal
an artificial waterway
telecommunications
communication by electronic means
free enterprise
an economic system that allows individuals to own, operate, and profit from their own businesses in an open, competitive market
metropolitan area
a major city and its surrounding suburbs
hierarchy
rank according to function
hinterlands
the area served by a metropolis
megalopolis
a very large city; a region made up of several large cities and their surrounding areas, considered to be a single urban complex
mangrove
a tropical tree that grows in swampy ground along coastal areas
bayou
a marshy inlet or outlet of a lake or river
fall line
imaginary line between the Appalacihan mountains and the Atlantic coastal plain, where rivers and streams form waterfalls and rapids as they descend from higher elevations of the coastal plains
sunbelt
the southern and southwestern states of the United States, from the Carolinas to southern California , characterized by a warm climate and, recently, rapid population growth
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