100% found this document useful (1 vote)
183 views15 pages

Geography Handbook: The Gui River, Guilin, China

This document provides an overview of key concepts in geography. It discusses the five themes of geography: location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and regions. It also outlines the six essential elements that geographers use to study geography: the world in spatial terms, physical systems, places and regions, environment and society, human systems, and the uses of geography. Finally, it explains important geographic tools like hemispheres, latitude and longitude, map projections, and how technology has changed mapmaking.

Uploaded by

mshamse000
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
100% found this document useful (1 vote)
183 views15 pages

Geography Handbook: The Gui River, Guilin, China

This document provides an overview of key concepts in geography. It discusses the five themes of geography: location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and regions. It also outlines the six essential elements that geographers use to study geography: the world in spatial terms, physical systems, places and regions, environment and society, human systems, and the uses of geography. Finally, it explains important geographic tools like hemispheres, latitude and longitude, map projections, and how technology has changed mapmaking.

Uploaded by

mshamse000
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 15

Geography Handbook 1

Saharan sand
dunes, Morocco
The Gui River,
Guilin, China

The Amazon, Brazil

The story of the world begins with geog-


raphythe study of the earth in all of its
variety. Geography describes the earths
land, water, and plant and animal life. It is
the study of places and the complex
relationships between people and their
environment.
The resources in this handbook will help
you get the most out of your textbookand
provide you with skills you will use for the
rest of your life.
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 4/8/04 12:36 AM Page 1
T
o understand how our world is connected, some
geographers have broken down the study of
geography into five themes. The Five Themes of
Geography are (1) location, (2) place, (3) human/
environment interaction, (4) movement, and
(5) regions. You will see these themes highlighted
in the Section and Chapter Assessments in The
World and Its People.
Six Essential Elements
Recently, geographers have broken down the
study of geography into Six Essential Elements,
which are explained here. Being aware of these
elements will help you sort out what you are
learning about geography.
The World in Spatial Terms
Geographers first take a look at
where a place is located. Location
serves as a starting point by asking
Where is it? Knowing the loca-
tion of places helps you
develop an awareness of
the world around you.
Physical Systems
When studying places
and regions, geographers
analyze how physical
systemssuch as hurri-
canes, volcanoes, and
glaciersshape the
earths surface. They also
look at communities of
plants and animals that
depend upon one another
and their surroundings
for survival.
2 Geography Handbook
Places and Regions
Place has a special mean-
ing in geography. It is not
just a geographic location. It
also describes characteristics.
It might describe physical
characteristics such as land-
forms, climate, and plant or
animal life. Or it might
describe human characteris-
tics, including language and
way of life.
To help organize their
study, geographers often
group places into regions.
Regions are united by
one or more common
characteristics.
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 4/8/04 12:37 AM Page 2
Environment and Society
How does the relation-
ship between people and
their natural surroundings
influence the way people
live? Geographers study how
people use the environment
and how their actions affect
the environment.
Human Systems
Geographers also examine
human systems, or how
people have shaped our
world. They look at how
boundary lines are deter-
mined and analyze why
people settle in certain
places and not in others. A
key theme in geography is
the continual movement of
people, ideas, and goods.
The Uses of Geography
Knowledge of geography
helps us understand the
relationships among people,
places, and environments
over time. Applying geo-
graphic skills helps you
understand the past and
prepare for the future.
Geography Handbook 3
Geography Handbook
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 4/8/04 12:37 AM Page 3
4 Geography Handbook
Northern Hemisphere
North Pole South Pole
Asia
Asia
North
America
North
America
South
America
South
America
Pacific
Ocean
Pacific
Ocean
Pacific
Ocean
Indian
Ocean
Indian
Ocean
Antarctica
Atlantic
Ocean
Atlantic
Ocean
Atlantic
Ocean
Australia
Australia
Europe
Europe
Africa
Africa
Africa
Southern Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere Eastern Hemisphere
Hemispheres
Hemispheres
To locate places on the earth, geographers use
a system of imaginary lines that crisscross the
globe. One of these lines, the Equator, circles
the middle of the earth like a belt. It divides
the earth into half spheres, or hemispheres.
Everything north of the Equator is in the
Northern Hemisphere. Everything south of the
Equator is in the Southern Hemisphere.
Another imaginary line runs from north to
south. It helps divide the earth into half
spheres in the other direction. Find this line
called the Prime Meridianon a globe.
Everything east of the Prime Meridian for
180 degrees is in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Everything west of the Prime Meridian for
180 degrees is in the Western Hemisphere.
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 7/8/04 3:01 AM Page 4
Latitude
Lines of latitude, or parallels, circle the
earth parallel to the Equator and measure
the distance north or south of the Equator
in degrees. The Equator is at 0 latitude,
while the North Pole lies at latitude 90N
(north).
Longitude
Lines of longitude, or meridians, circle the earth
from Pole to Pole. These lines measure distances east
or west of the starting line, which is at 0 longitude
and is called the Prime Meridian. The Prime
Meridian runs through the Royal Observatory in
Greenwich, England.
Absolute Location
The grid system formed by lines of latitude
and longitude makes it possible to find the
absolute location of a place. Only one place can
be found at the point where a specific line of
latitude crosses a specific line of longitude. By
using degrees () and minutes () (points between
degrees), people can pinpoint the precise spot
where one line of latitude crosses one line of
longitudean absolute location.
Geography Handbook 5
L
ines on globes and maps provide information
that can help you easily locate places on the
earth. These linescalled latitude and longi-
tudecross one another, forming a pattern called
a grid system.
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 4/8/04 12:40 AM Page 5
6 Geography Handbook
60N
30N
30S
0
120E 180 120W
PACIFIC
OCEAN
Map A
Los
Angeles Tokyo
E W
N
S
True Direction Distance
5,795 mi. (9,324 km)
Great Circle Distance
5,450 mi. (8,769 km)
Mercator projection
3,000
3,000 0 mi.
0 km
Map B
PACIFIC
OCEAN
6
0

N
4
0

N
180
120W
60W
0
60E
120E
Great Circle Route
Los
Angeles
Tokyo
North Pole
E
W
N
S
Polar Gnomonic projection
3,000
3,000 0 mi.
0 km
T
ru
e
Direction Rou
te
Great Circle Route
T
he most accurate way to depict the earth is as a
globe, a round scale model of the earth. A globe
gives a true picture of the continents relative sizes
and the shapes of landmasses and bodies of water.
Globes accurately represent distance and direction.
A map is a flat drawing of all or part of the
earths surface. Unlike globes, maps can show small
areas in great detail. Maps can also display political
boundaries, population densities, or even voting
returns.
From Globes to Maps
Maps, however, do have their limitations. As
you can imagine, drawing a round object on a
flat surface is very difficult. Cartographers, or
mapmakers, use mathematical formulas to
transfer information from the round globe to
a flat map. However, when the curves of a
globe become straight lines on a map, the
size, shape, distance, or area can change or
be distorted.
Great Circle Routes
Mapmakers have solved some problems of
going from a globe to a map. Agreat circle is
an imaginary line that follows the curve of the
earth. Aline drawn along the Equator is an
example of a great circle. Traveling along a
great circle is called following a great circle
route. Airplane pilots use great circle routes
because they represent the shortest distances
from one city to another.
The idea of a great circle shows one impor-
tant difference between a globe and a map.
Because a globe is round, it accurately shows
great circles. On a flat map, however, the great
circle route between two points may not appear
to be the shortest distance. See the maps to the
right.
Mapmaking with Technology
Technology has changed the way maps are
made. Most cartographers use software pro-
grams called geographic information systems
(GIS). This software layers map data from
satellite images, printed text, and statistics. A
Global Positioning System (GPS) helps map-
makers and consumers locate places based on
coordinates broadcast by satellites.
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 4/8/04 12:41 AM Page 6
Geography Handbook 7
0
0 60W 60E 120E 120W
30N
30S
60S
60N
TROPIC OF CANCER
ARCTIC CIRCLE
M
E
R
I
D
I
A
N

O
F

G
R
E
E
N
W
I
C
H

(
L
O
N
D
O
N
)
ANTARCTIC CIRCLE
TROPIC OF CAPRICORN
EQUATOR
EQUATOR
TROPIC OF CANCER
ANTARCTIC CIRCLE
ARCTIC CIRCLE
TROPIC OF CAPRICORN
M
E
R
I
D
I
A
N

O
F

G
R
E
E
N
W
I
C
H

(
L
O
N
D
O
N
)
0
60E 60W 120E 120W 0
30N
30S
60N
60S
0
30N
60S
30S
60N
60W 60E 90W 90E 120W 120E 150W 150E 180 30W 30E 0
ARCTIC CIRCLE
ANTARCTIC CIRCLE
TROPIC OF CAPRICORN
EQUATOR
TROPIC OF CANCER
M
E
R
I
D
I
A
N

O
F

G
R
E
E
N
W
I
C
H

(
L
O
N
D
O
N
)
A map using the Robinson projection has minor distortions. Land
on the western and eastern sides of the Robinson map appears
much as it does on a globe. The areas most distorted on this
projection are near the North and South Poles.

The Winkel Tripel projection gives a good overall view of


the continents shapes and sizes. Land areas in a Winkel Tripel
projection are not as distorted near the Poles as they are in the
Robinson projection.
The Mercator projection shows true direction and land shapes
fairly accurately, but not size or distance. Areas that are located
far from the Equator are quite distorted on this projection. Alaska,
for example, appears much larger on a Mercator map than it does
on a globe.

Take a second look at your peeled, flattened orange. You might


have something that looks like a map based on Goodes
Interrupted Equal-Area projection. A map with this projection
shows continents close to their true shapes and sizes. This projec-
tion is helpful to compare land areas among continents.
0
30N
30S
60S
60N
EQUATOR
ANTARCTIC
CIRCLE
TROPIC OF CANCER
TROPIC OF CAPRICORN
ARCTIC CIRCLE

Mercator Projection
Winkel Tripel Projection
Robinson Projection
Goodes Interrupted
Equal-Area Projection
I
magine taking the whole peel from an orange and
trying to flatten it on a table. You would either
have to cut it or stretch parts of it. Mapmakers face
a similar problem in showing the surface of the
round earth on a flat map. When the earths surface
is flattened, big gaps open up. To fill in the gaps,
mapmakers stretch parts of the earth. They choose
to show either the correct shapes of places or their
correct sizes. It is impossible to show both. As a
result, mapmakers have developed different projec-
tions, or ways of showing the earth on a flat piece
of paper.
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 7/8/04 3:08 AM Page 7
8 Geography Handbook
Desert
Highland
Humid continental
Humid subtropical
Marine
Mediterranean
Steppe
Subarctic
Tropical
Tundra
Climate Regions of the United States
Map Key An important first step in reading a map is to note the map
key. The map key explains the lines, symbols, and colors used on a
map. For example, the map on this page shows the various climate
regions of the United States and the different colors representing them.
Cities are usually symbolized by a solid circle () and capitals by a
star (

). On this map, you can see the capital of Texas and the cities of
Los Angeles, Seattle, New Orleans, and Chicago.
Scale Bar Ameasuring line, often called
a scale bar, helps you figure distance on
the map. The map scale tells you what
distance on the earth is represented by
the measurement on the scale bar.
Compass Rose Amap has a symbol
that tells you where the cardinal direc-
tionsnorth, south, east, and westare
positioned. This symbol is called a
compass rose.
Geography Handbook 9
General Purpose Maps
Maps are amazingly useful tools. You
can use them to preserve information, to
display data, and to make connections
between seemingly unrelated things.
Geographers use many different types of
maps. Maps that show a wide range of
general information about an area are
called general purpose maps. Two of the
most common general purpose maps are
physical and political maps.
Physical Maps
Physical maps call out landforms and
water features. The physical map of Sri
Lanka below shows rivers and moun-
tains. The colors used on physical maps
include brown or green for land, and blue
for water. These colors and shadings
may show reliefor how flat or
rugged the land surface is. In addition,
physical maps may use colors to show
elevationthe height of an area above
sea level. Akey explains what each
color and symbol stands for.
Political Maps
Political maps show the names and
boundaries of countries, the location of
cities and other human-made features
of a place, and often identify major
physical features. The political map of
Spain above, for example, shows the
boundaries between Spain and other
countries. It also shows cities and rivers
within Spain and bodies of water sur-
rounding Spain.
8S
Bay
of
Bengal
INDIAN
OCEAN
Gulf of
Mannar
Pidurutalagala
8,281 ft.
(2,524 m)
Point Pedro
Trincomalee
Matara
Matale
Kattankudi
Chilaw
Colombo
Jaffna
SRI LANKA
100
100 0
0
mi.
km
E W
N
S
80E
Sri Lanka: Physical
Mountain peak
National capital
Major city
Feet
3,280
1,640
650
380
0
Meters
1,000
500
200
100
0
Elevations
10W
40N
0
M
e
d
i
t
e
r
r
a
n
e
a
n
S
e
a
S
trait of Gibralta
r
Bay of Bi scay
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
E
b
r
o
R
.
Tagus R.
G
u
a
d
a
lquivir R.
Douro R.
Balearic
Islands
Seville
Malaga
Valencia
Madrid
Zaragoza
Barcelona
U.K.
S P A I N
PORTUGAL
FRANCE
ANDORRA
GIBRALTAR
AF RI CA
Lambert Azimuthal
Equal-Area projection
200
200 0 mi.
0 km
E W
N
S
Spain: Political
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 4/8/04 12:43 AM Page 9
Contour Maps
One kind of physical map, called a
contour map, also shows elevation. A
contour map has contour linesone
line for each major level of elevation.
All the land at the same elevation is
connected by a line. These lines usually
form circles or ovalsone inside the
other. If contour lines come very close
together, the surface is steep. If the
lines are spread apart, the land is flat
or rises very gradually. Compare the
contour map of Sri Lanka below to its
physical map on page 9.
Special Purpose Maps
Some maps are made to present spe-
cific kinds of information. These are
called thematic or special purpose
maps. They usually show specific topics
in detail. Special purpose maps might
present climate, natural resources, or popu-
lation density. They might also display his-
torical information, such as battle sites or
territorial expansions. The maps title tells
what kind of special information it shows.
Colors and symbols in the map key are
especially important on these types of maps.
One type of special purpose map uses
colors to show population density, or the
average number of people living in a square
mile or square kilometer. As with other
maps, it is important to first read the title
and the key. The population density map of
Egypt above shows that the Nile River val-
ley and delta are very densely populated.

10 Geography Handbook
Boundary claimed
by Sudan
TROPIC OF CANCER
R
e
d
S
e
a
Me d i t e r r a n e a n Se a
N
i
l
e
R
.
Suez
Canal
Cairo
Alexandria
El Giza
30N
30E
20N
E GY P T
Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area
projection
300
300 0 mi.
0 km
E W
N
S
Egypt:
Population Density
Cities
City with more than
5,000,000 people
City with 1,000,000 to
5,000,000 people
sq. km sq. mi.
Persons per
Uninhabited
Under 2
260
60125
125250
Over 250
Uninhabited
Under 1
125
2550
50100
Over 100
8S
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
,
0
0
0
5
0
0
1,000
1
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
500
Bay
of
Bengal
INDIAN
OCEAN
Gulf of
Mannar
80E Transverse Mercator projection
100
100 0
0
mi.
km
E W
N
S
Sri Lanka: Contour
Contour intervals in meters 100
Types of Maps
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 4/8/04 12:43 AM Page 10
Geography Handbook 11
Graphs
Agraph is a way of sum-
marizing and presenting
information visually. Each
part of a graph gives useful
information. First read the
graphs title to find out its
subject. Then read the labels
along the graphs axesthe
vertical line along the left
side of the graph and the
horizontal line along the bot-
tom. One axis will tell you
what is being measured. The
other axis tells what units of
measurement are being used.
Bar and Line Graphs
Graphs that use bars or wide
lines to compare data visually are called bar
graphs. Look carefully at the bar graph above,
which compares world languages. The vertical
axis lists the languages. The horizontal axis
measures the number of speakers of the lan-
guage in millions. By comparing the lengths of
the bars, you can quickly tell which language is
spoken by the most people. Bar graphs are
especially useful for comparing quantities.
A line graph is a useful tool for showing
changes over a
period of time.
The amounts
being measured
are plotted on the
grid above each
year, and then are
connected by a
line. Line graphs
sometimes have
two or more lines
plotted on them.
The line graph to
your left shows
that the number
of farms in the
United States has
decreased since
1940.
Number of Native Speakers (in millions)
Source: The World Almanac, 2003.
L
a
n
g
u
a
g
e
s
Chinese (Mandarin) 874
Hindi 366
English 341
Spanish 322
Bengali 207
Portuguese 176
Russian 167
Japanese 125
German 100
Korean 78
Comparing World Languages
Source: The World Almanac, 2003.
1940 1950 1960 1970 1990 2000 1980
1
0
7
6
5
4
3
2
N
u
m
b
e
r

o
f

f
a
r
m
s

(
i
n

m
i
l
l
i
o
n
s
)
Year
U.S. Farms, 19402000
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 7/8/04 3:11 AM Page 11
Circle Graphs
You can use circle graphs
when you want to show
how the whole of something
is divided into its parts.
Because of their shape, cir-
cle graphs are often called
pie graphs. Each slice
represents a part or per-
centage of the whole pie.
On the circle graph below,
the whole circle (100 per-
cent) represents the worlds
population in 2002. The
slices show how this popu-
lation is divided among
the worlds five largest
continents.
Charts
Charts present facts and numbers in an
organized way. They arrange data, especially
numbers, in rows and columns for easy
reference. Look at the chart called Population
Growth on page 88. To interpret the chart,
first read the title. It tells you what information
the chart contains. Next, read the labels at
the top of each column and on the left
side of the chart. They explain what the
numbers or data on the chart are
measuring.
Pictographs

Like bar and circle graphs, pictographs


are good for making comparisons.
Pictographs use rows of small pictures
or symbols, with each picture or symbol
representing an amount. Look at the
pictograph showing the number of auto-
mobiles produced in the worlds five
major automobile-producing countries
above. The key tells you that one car
symbol stands for 1 million automobiles.
The total number of car symbols in a row
adds up to the auto production in each
selected country.
12 Geography Handbook
Source: The World Almanac, 2003.
P
r
o
d
u
c
t
i
o
n

f
i
g
u
r
e
s

f
o
r

f
i
v
e
m
a
j
o
r

a
u
t
o
-
p
r
o
d
u
c
i
n
g

c
o
u
n
t
r
i
e
s
Japan
United
States
France
South
Korea
Germany
= 1,000,000 passenger cars
Major Automobile-
Producing Countries, 2001
Asia 61%
Africa 13%
Europe
12%
Source: World Population Data Sheet, 2003.
*
Excluding Australia
Latin America 9% North America 5%
World Population*
Using Graphs, Charts, and Diagrams
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 4/8/04 12:45 AM Page 12
Geography Handbook 13
Climographs
A climograph, or climate
graph, combines a line graph
and a bar graph. It gives an
overall picture of the long-term
weather patterns in a specific
place. Climographs include
several kinds of information.
The green vertical bars on the
climograph of Moscow to your
right show average monthly
amounts of precipitation (rain,
snow, or sleet). These bars are
measured against the axis on
the right side of the graph. The
red line plotted above the bars
represents changes in the aver-
age monthly temperature. You
measure this line against the
axis on the left side.
Diagrams
Diagrams are drawings that show steps in a
process, point out the parts of an object, or
explain how something works. An elevation
profile is a type of diagram that can be helpful
when comparing the elevationsor heights
of an area. It shows an exaggerated side view
of the land as if it were sliced and you were
viewing it from the side. The elevation profile
of Africa below clearly shows sea level, low
areas, and mountains.

Source: World Weather Guide.


F
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
A
v
e
r
a
g
e

m
o
n
t
h
l
y

t
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e
Jan. Feb. Mar. April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
C
37.8
32.2
26.7
21.1
15.6
10.0
4.4
1.1
6.7
12.2
17.8
in.
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
A
v
e
r
a
g
e

m
o
n
t
h
l
y

p
r
e
c
i
p
i
t
a
t
i
o
n
mm
508
457.2
406.4
355.6
304.8
254
203.2
152.4
101.6
50.8
0
Climograph: Moscow, Russia
5,000 m
4,000 m
3,000 m
2,000 m
1,000 m
16,404 ft.
13,123 ft.
9,842 ft.
6,562 ft.
3,281 ft.
Sea level
Atlantic Ocean
Congo River
Margherita Peak
16,763 ft.
(5,109 m)
Mt. Kenya
17,058 ft.
(5,199 m)
Lake
Victoria
Indian
Ocean
0 mi.
0 km
300
300
0 latitude (Equator)
Africa: Elevation Profile
Geography Handbook
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 7/8/04 3:13 AM Page 13
Island
Strait
Isthmus
Cape
S
eacoast
Gulf
Bay
Ocean
Volcano
Mountain peak
Sound
Peninsula
Mouth of
river
Delta
Harbor
Cliff
Valley
Island
Strait
Isthmus
Cape
S
eacoast
Gulf
Bay
Ocean
Volcano
Mountain peak
Sound
Peninsula
Mouth of
river
Delta
Harbor
Cliff
Valley
14 Geography Handbook
absolute location exact location of a place on the earth
described by global coordinates
basin area of land drained by a given river and its branches;
area of land surrounded by lands of higher elevation
bay part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline,
generally smaller than a gulf
canyon deep and narrow valley with steep walls
cape point of land that extends into a river, lake, or ocean
channel wide strait or waterway between two landmasses that
lie close to each other; deep part of a river or other waterway
cliff steep, high wall of rock, earth, or ice
continent one of the seven large landmasses on the earth
cultural feature characteristic that humans have created in a
place, such as language, religion, housing, and settlement
pattern
delta flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried downstream
by a river and deposited at its mouth
divide stretch of high land that separates river systems
downstream direction in which a river or stream flows from its
source to its mouth
elevation height of land above sea level
Equator imaginary line that runs around the earth halfway be-
tween the North and South Poles; used as the starting point
to measure degrees of north and south latitude
glacier large, thick body of slowly moving ice
gulf part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline,
generally larger and more deeply indented than a bay
harbor a sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can
anchor safely
highland elevated land area such as a hill, mountain, or plateau
hill elevated land with sloping sides and rounded summit; gen-
erally smaller than a mountain
island land area, smaller than a continent, completely sur-
rounded by water
isthmus narrow stretch of land connecting two larger land
areas
lake a sizable inland body of water
latitude distance north or south of the Equator, measured in
degrees
longitude distance east or west of the Prime Meridian, meas-
ured in degrees
lowland land, usually level, at a low elevation
map drawing of the earth shown on a flat surface
meridian one of many lines on the global grid running from
the North Pole to the South Pole; used to measure degrees
of longitude
mesa broad, flat-topped landform with steep sides; smaller than
a plateau
As you read about world cultures
and geography, you will encounter
the terms listed below. Many
of the terms are pictured in the
diagram.
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 4/8/04 12:47 AM Page 14
Canyon
Tributary
Source of
river
Lowland
Upstream
Downstream
Highland
Glacier
Basin
Mountain range
Hills
Lake
Plateau
River
Plain
Channel
Desert
Canyon
Tributary
Source of
river
Lowland
Upstream
Downstream
Highland
Glacier
Basin
Mountain range
Hills
Lake
Plateau
River
Plain
Channel
Desert
Geography Handbook 15
mountain land with steep sides that rises sharply (1,000 feet
[305 m] or more) from surrounding land; generally larger
and more rugged than a hill
mountain peak pointed top of a mountain
mountain range a series of connected mountains
mouth (of a river) place where a stream or river flows into a
larger body of water
ocean one of the four major bodies of salt water that surround
the continents
ocean current stream of either cold or warm water that moves
in a definite direction through an ocean
parallel one of many lines on the global grid that circle the
earth north or south of the Equator; used to measure
degrees of latitude
peninsula body of land jutting into a lake or ocean, surrounded
on three sides by water
physical feature characteristic of a place occurring naturally,
such as a landform, body of water, climate pattern, or
resource
plain area of level land, usually at a low elevation and often
covered with grasses
plateau area of flat or rolling land at a high elevation, about
3003,000 feet (91914 m) high
Prime Meridian line of the global grid running from the North
Pole to the South Pole through Greenwich, England; starting
point for measuring degrees of east and west longitude
relief changes in elevation over a given area of land
river large natural stream of water that runs through the land
sea large body of water completely or partly surrounded
by land
seacoast land lying next to a sea or ocean
sea level position on land level with the surface of a nearby
ocean or sea
sound body of water between a coastline and one or more
islands off the coast
source (of a river) place where a river or stream begins, often
in highlands
strait narrow stretch of water joining two larger bodies of water
tributary small river or stream that flows into a larger river or
stream; a branch of the river
upstream direction opposite the flow of a river; toward the
source of a river or stream
valley area of low land between hills or mountains
volcano mountain created as liquid rock or ash erupts from
inside the earth
Geography Handbook
01-15 GEO HNBK TWIP-860976 4/8/04 12:49 AM Page 15

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy