GEOGRAPHY GLOSSARY

Geography

Unit 1 Glossary

Inlet: A thin cannel of water that leads inland from the sea.

Headland: A small area of land that projects out into the sea.

Peninsula: A large scale headland surrounded by water on three sides.

Isthmus: A thin stretch of land that connects a peninsula with the land.

Island: A piece of land completely surrounded by water.

Archipelago: A group of related islands close together.

Gulf: An area of sea surrounded by land on three sides.

Bay: Smaller than a gulf.

Ocean ridge: An underwater mountain range that generally covers a large area and reaches high altitudes.

Oceanic trench: A long depression on the ocean floor that can be thousands of meters deep.

Abyssal plain: A flat area of the ocean floor. They are found at depths between 3000 and 7000m.

Continental shelf: The undersea extension of a continent that descends gradually to depths of around 400m.

Continental slope: A steep underwater area that links the continental shelf with the ocean floor.

Mountain: A large landform that is higher than the surrounding land.

Mountain range: Continuous chain of mountains.

Basin: An area of land that is drained by a river or a lake and that is lower than the surrounding area.

Valley: Linear depression in the land.

Plateau: A flat area of land which sits at a certain altitude above sea level.

Plain: A large, open, flat or slightly undulating area of land.

Massif: A large mountain mass or compact group of connected mountains.

Cliff: A high, steep, or overhanging face of rock.

Altitude: High point of an area.

Erosion: The process of eroding or the condition of being eroded.

Eurasia: One of the five large land masses.

UNIT two GLOSSARY

Temperature: The degree of hotness of a body, substance or medium.

Oases: A fertile patch in a desert occurring where the water table approaches o reaches the ground surface

Precipitation: Rain, snow, sleet or dew formed by condensation of water vapor in the atmosphere.

Settlement: The establishment of a new region; colonization.

Livestock: Cattle, horses, poultry, and similar animals kept for domestic use but not as pets.

Scrub: To rub (a surface) hard, with or as if with a brush, soap and water, in order to clean it.

Holm Oak Tree: An evergreen Mediterranean oak tree.

Logging: The work of felling, trimming and transporting timber.

Deforestation: To clear of trees.

Savannah: Open grasslands usually with scattered bushes or trees, characteristic of much of tropical Africa.

Taiga: The coniferous forests extending across much of subarctic North America and Eurasia.

Tundra: A vast treeless zone luring between the ice cap and the timberline of North America and Eurasia and having permanently frozen subsoil.

Jungle: An equatorial forest area with luxuriant vegetation, often almost impenetrable.

Desert: A region that is devoid or almost devoid of vegetation because of low rainfall.

Steppe: An expensive grassy plain usually without trees.

Deciduous forest: Shedding all leaves annually at the end of the growing season and then having a dormant period without leaves.

Evergreen forest: Bearing foliage throughout the year; continually shedding and replacing leaves.

Riparian forest: Denoting or relating to the legal rights of the owner of land on a river bank, such as fishing or irrigation.

Meadows: An area of grassland often used for hay or for grazing of animals.

Grassland: Land such as a prairie on which grass predominates.

Climate change: Weather modification regarding climate record to a global or regional.

Greenhouse effect: Certain gases retain some of the energy emitted by the planetary surface being heated by solar radiation.

Atmosphere: The gaseous envelope surrounding the earth or any other celestial body.

Drought: A prolonged period of scanty rainfall.

Acid rain: Chemicals on earth falling as rain.

Hurricane: A severe often destructive storm.

Tornado: Twister a violent storm with winds whirling around a small area of extremely low pressure, usually characterized by a dark funnel-shaped cloud causing damage along its path.

Tsunami: A large often destructive sea wave produced by a submarine earthquake subsidence or volcanic eruption.

Sea levels rising: Increase in temperature of the earth that makes the water of the oceans to expand.

Sandstorm: A strong wind that whips up clouds of sand.

 Flood: The inundation of land that is normally dry through the overflowing of a body of water.

UNIT 3 GLOSSARY

State: A sovereign political power or community

Sovereignty:  Supreme and unrestricted power, as of a state

Constitution: The fundamental political principles on which a state is governed

Democracy: The fundamental political principles on which a state is governed

Monarchy: A form of government in which supreme authority is vested in a single and usually hereditary figure, such as a king, and whose powers can vary from those of an absolute despot to those of a figurehead

Dictatorship: One person has all the power in his/her country

Globalization: The process enabling financial and investment markets to operate internationally, largely as a result of deregulation and improved communications

Regional: Of or relating to a particular region or district.

Cultural diversity: The cultural variety and cultural differences that exist in the world, a society, or an institution

Universal suffrage: Suffrage for all persons over a certain age, usually 18 or 21, who in other respects satisfy the requirements established by law.

Legislative power: The authority under the constitution to make laws and to alter or repeal them.

Executive power: Power to enforce executive orders as intended and given, authorized by law.

Judicial power: To interpret statutes and laws when disputes arise.

Supranational: Beyond the authority or jurisdiction of one national government

Mass culture: The culture that is widely disseminated via the mass media

UN: United Nations

NGO: Non-Governmental organization

Civil servant: A person employed in the civil service

Justice: The principle of fairness that like cases should be treated alike

Liberty: The power of choosing, thinking, and acting for oneself; freedom from control or restriction

Subsidiarity: The principle of devolving decisions to the lowest practical level

Culture: The total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge, which constitute the shared bases of social action

Multiculturalism: The policy of maintaining a diversity of ethnic cultures within a community

Interculturalism: Representing different cultures

Referendum: submission of an issue of public importance to the direct vote of the electorate

Elections: The selection by vote of a person or persons from among candidates for a position