Geography Climate Glossary

Keyword

Definition  (Taken from various dictionaries)

Arctic Circle The imaginary circle around the earth, parallel to the equator, at latitude 66° 33′ north.
Biome A biome is a large area on the Earth’s surface that is defined by the types of animals and plants living there.
Climate The long term prevalent weather conditions of an area, determined by latitude, altitude etc.
Coast The line or zone where the land meets the sea.
Continent One of the earths large land masses.
Desert A region that is devoid or almost devoid of vegetation because of low rainfall.
Distribution Arrangement or location of something.
Earthquake A series of vibrations at the earth’s surface caused by movement along a fault place, volcanic activity, etc.
Environment External conditions or surroundings.
Equator The great circle of the earth, equidistant from the poles, dividing the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
Forest A large wooded area having a thick growth of trees and plants.
Global Covering or relating to the whole world.
Hemisphere Half of the terrestrial globe, dividing into northern and southern hemispheres by the equator and eastern and western hemispheres by some meridians, usually 0° and 180°
Hill A natural elevation of the earth’s surface, less high or craggy than a mountain.
Latitude An angular distance measured in degrees north and south of the equator.
Location A site or position;situation.
Longitude Distance in degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian at O° measured by the angle between the plane of the prime meridian and that of the meridian through the point in question, or by time difference.
Map A diagrammatic representation of the earth’s surface or part of it, showing the geographical distribution of features.
Mountains A natural upward projection of the earth’s surface, higher and steeper than a hill.
Ocean A very large stretch of sea, one of five oceans of the world – Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern.
Region An area considered as a unit for geographical reasons.
River A large natural stream of fresh water flowing a long a definite course, usually into the sea.
Seasonal Of, relating to, or occurring at a certain season or seasons of the year.
Soil The top layer of the land surface of the earth that is composed of disintegrated rock particles, humus, water and air.
Symbol Something that represents or stands for something else.
Time zone A region throughout which the same standard time is used. There are 24 time zones in the world, demarcated approximately by meridians at 15° intervals, an hour apart.
Topographical Detailed description of the surface features of a region.
Tropic of Capricorn Line of latitude at 23.5°S of the equator.
Tropic of Cancer Line of latitude 23.5°N of the equator.
Vegetation belt Plant life as a whole within a certain area.
Valley A long depression in the land surface , usually containing a river, formed by erosion or movements in the earth’s crust.
Volcano An opening in the earth’s crust from which molten lava, rock fragments, ashes, dust and gases are ejected from below the earth’s surface.
Water cycle The circulation of the earth’s water, in which water evaporates from the sea into the atmosphere where it condenses and falls as rain or snow.
Weather The day to day meteorological conditions, especially temperature, cloudiness and rainfall, affecting a specific place.