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'''Geography Vocabulary'''
'''Geography Vocabulary'''
[category:Geography]
[category:Social Studies]
[category:Social Studies Skills]


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* Click EXPAND to see list of important >>
* Click EXPAND to see list of important >>
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* canals provide important water passage to connect water bodies that would otherwise require long-distance water travel around land bodies or continents
* canals provide important water passage to connect water bodies that would otherwise require long-distance water travel around land bodies or continents
** usually canals are built across isthmuses  
** usually canals are built across isthmuses  
* Click EXPAND to see list of important canals
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* Bahr Yussef
* Bahr Yussef
** connects the Nile to the Faiyum Oasis and Lake Moeris, built 2300 BC
** connects the Nile to the Faiyum Oasis and Lake Moeris, built 2300 BC
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* Suez Canal
* Suez Canal
* Panama Canal
* Panama Canal
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* Click EXPAND to see list of important canals


=== channel ===
=== channel ===
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=== delta ===
=== delta ===
=== geyser ===
[[File:Geyser animation.gif|thumb|A cross-section of a geyser in action]]
* an underground water source that is intermittently ejected into the air above the surface as steam
* geysers exist near active volcanic regions
** whose proximity of magma heats rocks that boil the ground water, usually at depths of 6,600 ft
*** as the water boils, it builds pressure and intermittently erupts as steam and water out of the ground
*** the ground water then refills and repeats the process of heating and exploding
=== gulf ===
=== gulf ===
=== lake ===
=== lake ===
* "terminal lake" = lakes that have no outflow are called
** terminal lakes occur in basins and drains
=== ocean ===
=== ocean ===
=== sea ===
=== sea ===
=== spring ===
* to do
* epicontinental sea
** = sea levels above continental shelfs, thus 400 ft or above sea level
=== strait ===
=== strait ===
* a narrow body of water that connects larger bodies of water, or, a narrow channel that separates land masses
* a narrow body of water that connects larger bodies of water, or, a narrow channel that separates land masses
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click EXPAND to see list of important straits:
click EXPAND to see list of important straits:
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* important straits and channels
* important straits and channels
* '''Bosporus Strait'''  
* '''Bosporus Strait'''  
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*** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait Strait (wiki)]]
*** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait Strait (wiki)]]
*** [[https://www.morethanshipping.com/the-worlds-top-10-strategic-straits-and-channels Top 10 Straits and Channels (morethanshipping.com)]]
*** [[https://www.morethanshipping.com/the-worlds-top-10-strategic-straits-and-channels Top 10 Straits and Channels (morethanshipping.com)]]
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** this list is derived from ** See [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rivers_by_lengthList of rivers by length (wiki)]]
** this list is derived from ** See [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rivers_by_lengthList of rivers by length (wiki)]]
*** which measures total length of river systems (i.e., includes tributaries)
*** which measures total length of river systems (i.e., includes tributaries)
* Click EXPAND to see list of the ten longest rivers
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* 1. '''Nile''' (Africa; flows into Mediterranean Sea)
* 1. '''Nile''' (Africa; flows into Mediterranean Sea)
* 2.  '''Amazon''' (South America; flows into Atlantic Ocean)
* 2.  '''Amazon''' (South America; flows into Atlantic Ocean)
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* 10.  '''Amur''' (northern-central Asia, flows into the Sea of Okhost, part of the Pacific Ocean)
* 10.  '''Amur''' (northern-central Asia, flows into the Sea of Okhost, part of the Pacific Ocean)
* See also [[https://www.wonderslist.com/top-10-largest-rivers/ Top 10 Largest Rivers in the world]]
* See also [[https://www.wonderslist.com/top-10-largest-rivers/ Top 10 Largest Rivers in the world]]
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* Click EXPAND to see list of the ten longest rivers
=== stream ===


=== oasis ===
=== oasis ===
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See also:
See also:
* Hydrology / water cycle
* Hydrology / water cycle
*  
*
 
=== sink ===
* the lowest point in a "drain" that the collects water that has no outflow from the drain
* the waterflow in a drain or to a sink does not flow outside of that region
* usually a lake or a swamp
* may evaporate, such as the Great Salt Lake
 
=== stream ===
 
== atmosphere ==
=== winds ===
* Trade winds: blow from east to west (generally)
* Westerlies: blow from west to east (generally
** these winds defined oceanic travel during the "age of sail" (wind-powered boats)
** they also defined location and direction of European expeditions during the Age of Discovery
*** ex. the Portuguese discovered Brazil because their ships had to sail west, across the Atlantic in order to catch the winds and currents that would then carry their ships south and east to cross the Cape Peninsula and the Cape of Good Hope (southern tip of Africa)
* windward v. leeward
** windward = upwind, or that side facing or nearest to the incoming wind
** leeward = downwind, or that side facing away or furthest from the incoming wind
*** see the Lesser Antilles for the "Leeward" and "Westward" Islands
 


== Land forms ==
== Land forms ==
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=== basin ===
=== basin ===
* a land depression in an area or region which has no outflow of water
** i.e., all the rivers and other water sources are contained within it
** and none of those waters flow into an ocean
** instead, the water flows into a "drain", usually a lake or swamp region
click EXPAND for important basins
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* '''the Great Basin''', western United States
** "basin" = lowlands between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada
** there is no waterflow exiting the Great Basin
** the Great Salt Lake is one of three major drains n the Great Basin
*** called a "terminal lake"
*** it is the 8th largest in the world
* '''Okavango Delta''', Botswana, Africa
** a swampy, inland delta region that collects rain and water flow of the Okavango River (4th longest river system in Africa)
** it is a "delta" because the river splits into different channels as it empties into the basin
** the water levels are seasonal
** the Okavango Delta is an important home to wildlife, especially elephants, rhinos, lions and leopards
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=== butte ===
=== butte ===
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* Click EXPAND for a list of important capes:
* Click EXPAND for a list of important capes:
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* '''Cape Canaveral''' - Florida
* '''Cape Canaveral''' - Florida
* '''Cape Cod''' - Massachusetts  
* '''Cape Cod''' - Massachusetts  
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* '''Cape Three Forks''' - Morocco
* '''Cape Three Forks''' - Morocco
* ''' Cape Vert''' - Senegal; the westernmost point of Africa
* ''' Cape Vert''' - Senegal; the westernmost point of Africa
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* See [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_(geography)#List_of_some_well-known_capes List of Well Known Capes (wiki)]]
* See [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_(geography)#List_of_some_well-known_capes List of Well Known Capes (wiki)]]


=== ===
=== canyon ===
=== canyon ===
* a "cleft" or opening with steep cliff walls on either side
* canyons are usually formed by erosion from rivers
** but can also be caused by "weathering" (see definition under geology entry)
* also called a '''gorge'''
[[File:Subway Zion1.JPG|thumb|The Subway, a slot canyon within the Kolob Terrace section]]
* '''narrows''' or '''slot canyon''' is a very narrow canyon and can extend for some distance
** see "The Subway," a slot canyon in Zion National Park, Utah
=== continent ===
=== continent ===
* largest continuous unit of a land form or land mass
* largest continuous unit of a land form or land mass
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* click on EXPAND to see list of Continents
* click on EXPAND to see list of Continents
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* ordered by size, largest to smallest:
* ordered by size, largest to smallest:
* '''Asia'''
* '''Asia'''
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* '''Europe'''
* '''Europe'''
* '''Australia'''
* '''Australia'''
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* disputed continents
* disputed continents
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* click EXPAND for more on definition of Europe as a continent
* click EXPAND for more on definition of Europe as a continent
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*** to the ancient Greeks, Europe was the "Land of the West"
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*** and Asia was the "Land of the East:  
* to the ancient Greeks, Europe was the "Land of the West"
*** and Africa was called "Libya"
* and Asia was the "Land of the East:  
** as a continent, Europe is divided from Asia by
* and Africa was called "Libya"
*** Ural Mountains (in Russia)
* as a continent, Europe is divided from Asia by
*** Bosporus Strait (at Constantinople, Turkey)
** Ural Mountains (in Russia) and
** Bosporus Strait (at Constantinople, Turkey)
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=== drain ===
* a lowland area that collects water that has no outflows to the ocean
* technically an "Endorheic basin"
* the "sink" is the actual low point in which water is collected
=== Endorheic v. exorheic ===
* describes lakes, lowlands or regions in which water either
** has no outflow = ''endorheic''
** has an outflow = ''exorheic''
* these terms can describe regions, lakes, swamps
* basins that have subsurface (underground) water flow that leads to an ocean are called "cryptorheic basins"
=== gorge ===
* another name for '''canyon''' (see above)
=== hill ===
=== hill ===
=== island ===
=== island ===
=== isthmus ===
=== isthmus ===
[[File:The Neck Bruny Island.jpg|thumb|The sandy isthmus or tombolo "The Neck" connecting North and South Bruny Island in Tasmania, Australia]]
* land-form that has large water bodies on opposite sides
* and connects two larger land forms
* also called a "land bridge"
** plural form = "isthmuses"
* examples:
** Karelian Isthmus << connects Russia to Finland
** Kra Isthmus << connects southeast Asia to the Malay peninsula
** Panama << connects North and South Americas
** Sinai << connects northeast Africa to southwest Asia
* canals are usually built across isthmuses
** Panama Canal
** Corinth Canal
** Suez Canal
=== land-bridge ===
=== land-bridge ===
* a small or especially narrow isthmus
=== mountain ===
=== mountain ===
=== nunatak ===
[[File:Starr Nunatak-Antarctica.jpg|thumb|Starr Nunatak, on the coast of Victoria Land, Antarctica]]
* a landform protruding above a glacier
=== peninsula ===
=== peninsula ===
=== plateau ===
=== plateau ===
=== prairie ===
* large flat ecological area dominated by grasses
* and with a temperate (moderate) climate and mild rainfall
* may have trees but does not have forests
=== range ===
* as in "mountain range"
* a series of connected or inter-connected mountains
* that are geologically similar
=== steppe ===
* large flat grasslands
* generally dry and at higher elevations than prairies
=== tectonic plates===
=== tectonic plates===
* large geological "plates" of rock that underly the surface of the earth
* plates move over time (long periods)
* non-volcanic mountain ranges are the result of crashing plates
** as one plate will force itself under or over the other, thus causing the earth to rise into mountains
*** such as the Himalaya Mountains
=== trench ===
=== trench ===
* '''trench'''
* '''trench'''
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=== volcano ===
=== volcano ===


* formed when magma from below breaks through the earth's crust
** when that happens, lava, ash, and gasses escape from the earth's hot mantle
** as lava accumulates and hardens, volcanic mountains, below and above the seas form
* two principle of volcanos:
** conical volcano
*** the most common type of volcano with high walls and a cone at the top
*** built up by layers (or "strata") of lava and other airborne, solid "fragments" of ash and cinders
*** in a conical volcano the lava flow hardens before spreading far
**** stratovolcano (or composite volcano from layers of lava flows), spatter cone (from a lava fountain)
**** see also cinder, rootless, and tuff cones: Volcanic cone - Wikipedia
** shield volcanos
*** the lava flows outward and the volcano does not build up like a conical volcano
* there are various types of volcanic eruptions
* the earth's crust itself is originally built of lava
** = "igneous rock"
*** "igeneous" is from ''ignis'', Latin for "fire"
*** other rock types:
**** sedimentary = layered minerals and organic material
**** metamorphic = new rock types formed by pressure and heat of existing rocks
* breaks in the earth's crust are caused by [[File:World Distribution of Mid-Oceanic Ridges.gif|thumb|World distribution of mid-oceanic ridges]]
** shifts in and colliding of tectonic plates
** thus places where the plates are either separating for converging, such as:
*** separating = mid-oceanic ridges, which surround several of the continents, including:
**** Mid-Atlantic ridge from Greenland to southern Atlantic, in the center of the Atlantic Ocean
**** Pacific ridges, which extend from Baha California south and east, below Australia and connecting with the mid-Oceanic ridges of the Indian Ocean
*** converging (crashing into one another), such as:
**** the "Ring of Fire"
** weakening or thinning of the crust, such as:
*** East African Rift
*** Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field in British Columbia, Canada
*** Rio Grande Rift: from below the Colorado Plateau to the northern border of Mexico, covering most of New Mexico and parts of Arizona
**** note: the eastern edge of the Rio Grande Rift forms the North-South vertical portion of the New Mexico-Texas natural border
* Sources:
* Sources:
* [[https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/landform/ Landform (National Geographic)]]
* [[https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/landform/ Landform (National Geographic)]]


== Major world regions ==
== Major world regions ==
[[File:United Nations geographical subregions.png|thumb|Statistical regions as defined by the UNSD. Antarctica is not shown.]]
* major regions
* major regions
** there are many regions and sub-regions and different sources will define these regions differently
** there are many regions and sub-regions and different sources will define these regions differently
** we will list these regions per continent
** world geography is broadly divided or categorized into:
* See [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_physiographic_regions_of_the_world List of Physiographic Regions per continent (wiki)]]
* 6 or 7 continents
* 12 regions
 
=== Physiographic regions ===
* a taxonomy of geological regions dividing them into
** Landmass
*** Region/Division
**** Province
***** Section
* see:
** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_physiographic_regions_of_the_world List of physiographic regions of the world (wikipedia)]
** [https://water.usgs.gov/GIS/metadata/usgswrd/XML/physio.xml Physiographic divisions of the conterminous U. S. (USGS)]
** [http://wiki.gis.com/wiki/index.php/Physiographic_regions_of_the_world Physiographic regions of the world (GIS.com)]
 
 
=== Geoscheme regions ===
* classification of regions per continent
** the United Nations uses "geoscheme" system to define major world regions
* see [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_geoscheme United_Nations_geoscheme (wikipedia)]
** below are listed the geoscheme regions per continent
 
=== Americas ===
=== Americas ===
* North America
* North America
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* Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Malyasia, Indonesia, etc.)
* Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Malyasia, Indonesia, etc.)
* West Asia (Middle East)
* West Asia (Middle East)
** Asia Minor, Anatolia


=== Africa ===
=== Africa ===
* East Africa
* East or Eastern Africa
* North Africa
** Horn of Africa = the peninsula of east Africa between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean
* West Africa
*** = the easternmost point of Africa
* North or Northern Africa
* South or Southern Africa (not the nation "South Africa")
* Sub-Saharan Africa
* Sub-Saharan Africa
* South Africa
* West or Western Africa  
 


=== Australia ===
=== Australia ===
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* Western Europe
* Western Europe
* Scandinavia
* Scandinavia
* Europe is also classified according to
** ethnicity
** language
** religion


=== Other major regions terminology ===
=== Other major regions terminology ===
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* Micronesia
* Micronesia
* Polynesia
* Polynesia
* List of independent nations of Oceania:
'''Click EXPAND for a list of independent nations of Oceana'''
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* Australia
* Australia
* East Timor
* East Timor
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* Also:
* Also:
** Cook Islands and Niue are "associated states" with New Zealand
** Cook Islands and Niue are "associated states" with New Zealand
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* '''Click EXPAND to see list of independent nations of Oceana'''
 
* See [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_in_Oceania List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Oceania (wiki)]]
* See [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_in_Oceania List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Oceania (wiki)]]


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see also : [Climate (Geography)]
see also : [Climate (Geography)]
* ''' Roaring Forties'''
* ''' Roaring Forties'''
[[File:Map prevailing winds on earth.png|thumb|right|250px|Map prevailing winds on earth (wiki)]]
[[File:Map prevailing winds on earth.png|thumb|right|250px|Map prevailing winds on earth (wiki)]]
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** and from Australia/New Zealand to the southern tip of South America
** and from Australia/New Zealand to the southern tip of South America


== Geography Fun Facts & Oddities ==
== Geology & geological processes ==
See:
=== Land forms processes ===
* [[Geography fun facts & oddities]]
* '''erosion''' = the transport or movement of rocks and soil by water or wind
** erosion spreads silt (important for farming), forms canyons, coastlines, and other surface features
** types or causes of erosion:
*** rivers
*** rain/snow fall
*** tides/waves
*** atmospheric (wind, gasses)
*** glaciers
* see [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erosion Erosion (wiki)]]
* '''weathering''' = breakdown of rocks and soil from contact with water, the atmosphere, and organisms
** weathering is not erosion, as weathering does not include transit of rocks and soil
 
=== Hydrology cycle ===
=== Water forms processes ===
* waves = oscillations
** waves in water are technically "wind waves"
** water waves are caused by winds
* underwater waves
** ocean floor topography causes underwater waves
** highest underwater waves occur in the Luzon Strait between Taiwan and the Philippines
*** caused by two parallel underwater ridges
*** some underwater waves there can be as high as 1,600 feet
* see " Geoffrey Giller, “Long a Mystery, How 500-Meter-High Undersea Waves Form Is Revealed.” ©2014 by Scientific American
 
=== ===
 
== Human populations ==
=== Language groups ===
[[File:Primary Human Languages Improved Version.png|thumb|Contemporary distribution (2005 map) of the world's major language families (in some cases geographic groups of families). This map includes only primary families i.e. branches are excluded.
For greater detail, see Distribution of languages on Earth.]]
* there are 15 major language families in the world
** each of these major groups have sub-groups of distinct languages
** there are 7,111 languages in the world
[[File:Primary Human Language Families Map.png|thumb|Principal language families of the world (and in some cases geographic groups of families). For greater detail, see Distribution of languages in the world.]]
* there are also many other distinct languages (see map)
* see [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_language_families List of language families (wikipedia)]
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