West Virginia Studies Chapter 1 Vocabulary
Jan 02, 2016
West Virginia Studies Chapter 1
Vocabulary
the science of studying Earth as the home of humans
geography
describes where a place is compared to other
places
relative location
identifies a precise position on Earth’s surface; stated in
terms of latitude and longitude
absolute location
the imaginary line that goes around the globe
halfway between the North Pole and South Pole
equator
a measure of the distance north and
south of the equator
latitude
an imaginary line running from the North Pole through
Greenwich, England, and partof Africa to the South Pole
prime meridian
a measure of the distance east or west of
the prime meridian, which is located at
Greenwich, England
longitude
a long narrow strip of a larger
territory
panhandle
the average weather of a region over a
long period of time
climate
the day to day conditions and changes
in the atmosphere
weather
the height of the land above sea
level
elevation
rain, snow, hail
precipitation
a long period of little or no rain
drought
warmer-than-usual Pacific Ocean surface temperatures
El Niño
colder-than-usual Pacific Ocean surface temperatures
La Niña
physical features of the land such
mountains or plateaus
topography
the gradual wearing down of land by wind or
water
erosion
a stream or river that flows into a
larger river
tributary
no longer existing, such as an animal
extinct
strip mining; a method of mining for minerals close to Earth’s surface where the top
layers ofthe earth are scraped away to
get at the mineral
surface mining