Austalia

• a continent in the Southern hemisphere
• the world's smallest continent
• a country including Tasmania 

Asia

• world's largest continent
• main part of the Eurasian landmass
• surrounded by Arctic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Europe

Africa

• second largest continent
• surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea

North America

• 3rd largest continent
• includes Canada, USA, Mexico, Central America and many islands

Europe

• 2nd smallest continent
• a peninsule of the Eurasian landmass bounded by the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and Asia

South America

• 4th largest continent
• bounded by the Carribean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean
• is linked to North America by the isthmus of Panama

Antarctica

• 5th largest continent
• this continent contains the South Pole
• is almost completely covered by an ice sheet

Alps Mountains

• major south, central European mountain system
• world's 4th largest in size

Himalayas Mts.

• world's largest mountain range
• in south, central Asia extending along the border between India and Tibet through Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan

Andes Mountains

• mountain system extending along the western coast of South America
• 2nd largest mountain range

Rocky Mountains

• 3rd largest mountain range
• in western North America extending from New Mexico to northeastern British Columbia, Canada

Atlantic Ocean

• body of water which separates North and South America from Europe and Africa
• extends from the Arctic to the Antarctic

Arctic Ocean

• 4th largest ocean
• located north of Asia, Europe and North America

Pacific Ocean

• world's largest ocean
• bounded by North and South America to the east, and Asia and Oceania on the west

Indian Ocean

• 3rd largest ocean
• lies between Africa, Asia and Australia

parallel

another name for a line of latitude

longitude

imaginary lines on a map or globe that meet at the North Pole and the South Pole

latitude

• imaginary lines on a map or globe that run from east to west
• they lay flat
• they never meet

meridian

another word for a line of longitude

cardinal directions

North, South, East and West

geography

the study of the earth and all things on it

hemisphere

• one half of the earth
• there are 4 of them: northern, southern eastern and western

absolute location

a location marked exactly, by an address or geographic location

relative location

scale

a tool used to judge the relative size or distance of something on a map

key

a tool used on a map that explains the meaning of symbols and colors

distortion

when accuracy is lost

projection

a flat, usually paper version of a globe

compass rose

Prime Meridian

• the main line of longitude that runs through Greenwich, England
• used to measure distance east and west in degrees

Equator

• them ain line of latitude that divides the Northern from the Southern hemisphere
• used to measure distance north and south in degrees

intermediate directions

northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest

orbit

the path that a body makes as it circles around another body

revolution

a circular journey made along an orbit

axis

• an imaginary line around which a planet spins
• runs through the center of Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole

vegetation

plants that grow in a region

tundra

an area of cold climate and low lying vegetation

canopy

the dense mass of leaves and branches which form the top layer of a forest

savanna

• a tropical grassland
• flat, grassy region or open plain with scattered trees and thorny bushes

desert scrub

desert vegetation that needs little water

deciduous trees

a tree that loses its leaves in the fall

coniferous trees

a tree that produces cones to carry its seeds

Rocky Mountains

• largest mountain chain in the USA
• extends 3,000 miles from Canada, through the US, and into Mexico

Appalachian Mountains

• 2nd largest mountain chain in the USA
• extends 1,500 miles from Canada into the United States

Great Plains

Central Plains

the lowland prairie that lies west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Mississippi River

Gulf Atlantic Coastal Plains

Great Lakes

• world's largest group of freshwater lakes
• Huron, Ontaria, Michigan, Erie and Superior
• HOMES

Mississippi River

• largest river in the US
• 2nd longest river in US
• drains 40% of the US rainwater into the Gulf of Mexico

Missouri and Ohio Rivers

two major rivers inthe US which are tributaries of the Mississippi River

agriculture

farming, including growing crops and raising livestock

industry 

industrialization

• change from an agriculture-based economy to an industry-based economy
• the development of manufacturing

responsible development

deforestation

the loss of forests due to the overcutting of trees

Amazon Rain Forest

a tropical rain forest inthe drainage basin of the Amazon River in northern South America

Rio de Janiero

a major city in Brazil

Brasilia

the capital city of Brazil

altiplano

a high plateau in the Andes Mountains

sierra

a range of mountains, such as the ones that run from northwest to southeast in Peru

oasis

a fertile area in a desert that has a source of water

Ferdinand Magellan

• a Portugese explorer sailing from Spain
• he was the first person to circumnavigate the globe

circumnavigate

to sail or fly all the way around the something, such as Earth

glacier

a large slow-moving mass of ice or snow

Augusto Pinochet Ugarte

military dictator of Chile from 1937 to 1988

Caracas

the capital city of Venezuela

boom

a period of growth or prosperity

privatization

a government's sale of land or industries it owns to individuals or companies

coup

• short of coup d'etat
• French word meaning the overthrow of a ruler or government by an organized group that takes power