Geography Terms - Glossary of Geography Terms and Definitions

7/27/2019 Geography Terms - Glossary of Geography Terms and Definitions

1/38

Geography Terms - Glossary of Geography Terms and

Definitions

All of us, at some point of time, have studied geography. But remembering all the geography termsis next to impossible. Geographical terms such as acid rain, barometer, atmosphere, climate and

weather are used in our day-to-day lives for purposes such as helping kids in their projects ormaking travel plans. Many times, these geography terms are misunderstood. For example, weatheris misused for climate and atmosphere is mistakenly used for environment.

Geography Glossary

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

Abiotic: All the non-living things, which comprise the environment are known as abiotic factors.Rock, water, mountains are all examples of abiotic elements of environment.

Ablation: The geographical term, ablation is defined as the net loss of water from the glacier due tomelting, evaporation, sublimation, and calving.

Abrasion: Abrasion is the degeneration of land due to 'scouring action of materials'.

Absolute Humidity: Absolute humidity is determined by content of water vapor in the air (grams) percubic meter.

Absolute Location: An absolute location of a place is defined by longitude and latitude on the earth'ssurface.

Absorption: Absorption is defined as the permeation of one substance into another. For example, theland absorbs the rain and increases the ground water level.

Abyssal Plain: Abyssal plain is a large flat area of the ocean, generally 5,000-6,000 m below sealevel.

Accessibility: The ease or difficulty associated with reaching a location or a destination is known asaccessibility.

Acculturation: A change or a modification in a culture due to adoption of new principles, customs,trends and traits is known by the term acculturation.

Acid Rain: A commonly used geography term, acid rain is highly acidic due to sulfuric and nitricacids created by human pollution and burning of fossil fuels.

Acid Lava: Lava which contains high levels of silica is known as acid lava. Acid lava has high

viscosity and high melting points.

Afforestation: Afforestation refers to planting trees on barren lands and also in other deforestedareas.


2/38

Aftershock: Aftershock is defined as the tremors that are felt after a major earthquake, from theepicenter.

Aeolian: This geography term is derived from the Greek God of Winds, Aeolus. Aeolian refers to theerosion caused by winds or that is related to winds.

Aerial Photograph: Aerial photograph is photography done from above the surface of the earth.These photographs help in providing an aerial (birdlike) view of a geographical terrain.

Age-sex Pyramid: Age-sex pyramid is also known as the population pyramid. This geographical termis a graph, which gives the age and sex distribution of a population.

Agriculture: Agriculture is the science and business of growing crops, breeding livestock andcultivating soil.

Air Pressure: Air pressure is the force that the air exerts on the surface.

Altitude: Altitude is the vertical height above the sea level.

Albedo: The amount of sun's rays that is reflected by an earthly body is called albedo. It is thereflection of a certain area of earth, like snow and mountains, on the surface. For example, thealbedo of snow covered mountains hurts the eyes.

Alluvial Fan: Alluvial Fan is a fan-shaped soil deposit formed due to sediments. This is usually foundat the foot of the valley, where a stream fans out and deposits the sediments of the stream.

Alluvium: Alluvium are deposits made by rivers. These are found near floodplains or at point-bars.

Angle of Response: Angle of response is the maximum angle that a slope attains and at which itremains stable. It may be a pile of rocks or any granular pile. It is caused due to friction andcohesion.

Antipode: The exact opposite point on the surface of the earth to any other given point is known as

antipode. For example, south and north poles are considered as antipodes of each other.

Anticyclone: As per geography definitions, anticyclone is a stable air mass, which produces highpressure and warm conditions.

Aphelion: Aphelion is the point of time when the earth is farthest from the Sun, while it is revolvingin the orbit. This occurs around July 3, when the earth is approximately 94,555,000 miles away fromthe Sun.

Aquatic Fauna: In the geography glossary, aquatic fauna is defined as the animal species living

under and in water.

Aquatic Plants: In the geography glossary, aquatic plants are defined as all the plants living andreproducing in the water.


3/38

Aquifer: Aquifer is a water reserve in the Earth's belly. In other words, it is an underground waterreserve which is extracted for surface applications.

Archipelago: Archipelago is a group of islands. For instance Hawaii, is an archipelago.

Arid: Arid is a climatic condition characterized by extreme dryness.

Arroyo: Arroyo is defined as a dry creek, which fills up only after a heavy spell of rain.

Atmosphere: Atmosphere is a very popular geography term. Geography glossary at buzzle.comdefines it as, an envelope of air, gases and suspended particles which surrounds the earth. It has78.09% of nitrogen, 20.95% of oxygen and remainder 0.96% consists of 19 gases. The layers of theearth's atmosphere is divided into troposphere, stratosphere, and tropopause. The atmospherestretches 1000 km above the sea level, but 99% of gases are trapped within the limit of 40 km.

Atoll: Atoll is a ring shaped coral reef, which encloses a shallow lagoon.

Aurora Australis: Aurora Australis is a hypnotic band of lights that cascades in the SouthernHemisphere in the night sky. They are also known as the Southern Lights and commonly appear inshades of electric greenish-blue.

Aurora Borealis: Aurora Borealis is a magnificent band of lights that appears in the far NorthernHemisphere. It appears at night and is also known as the Northern Lights.

Avalanche: When snow, debris or rocks slide down rapidly from a hill or a mountain, it is called anavalanche.

Axis: In geography terminology, axis is an imaginary line, which run through the North and Southpole. The earth rotates around this axis every 24 hours, which is how the phenomenon of day andnight occurs.

Autumnal Equinox: Autumnal Equinox is the day of the year, when the day is equal to night. In theNorthern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox occurs on 22 or 23 September and in Southern

Hemisphere it occurs on 20 or 21 March.

B

Barchan: Barchan is an exact crescent shaped sand dune made by the winds. The crescent tips pointdownwind, which move fast due to wind movements. The wind brushes the sand on the windwardside which collapses on the leeward making the barchan sand dunes to move forward.


4/38

Bay: As per geography definitions, a bay is a water body that surrounds a crescent-shaped coast lineor a piece of land. For example, the Bay of Bengal on the eastern coast of India. It is larger than acove but smaller than gulf.

Biodiversity: The diversity of species found in a particular area. It includes the variety of flora andfauna in the given ecosystem.

Biogeography: Biogeography is included in the geography terms, because it studies the distributionof animals and plants on the planet.

Biosphere: Biosphere is a total of plant life, animal life and all other factors that make up the earth.

Brook: Brook is a small stream that flows with gravity. It is smaller than a creek.

Background Extinction: Background extinction refers to the extinction of species on the Earth due tochanges in the environmental conditions.

Backshore: The area, behind the shore that is untouched by water is known as backshore. It anextension of the beach, between the beach berm and backshore slope.

Back Wall: Back wall is the steep cliff at the rear of a corrie.

Backwash: Backwash is a backward movement of water from the shore, once it has washed the runup of the beach.

Backwater: Backwater is defined as a water body formed due to an obstruction in drainage.

Bar Chart: Bar chart is a graphical representation of various amounts or frequencies. These itemsare shown with variations in lengths.

Bahada: In geography terms, a bahada is a gently sloping plain, at the foot of the mountains. Thisslope is created by descending streams. A bahada is generally seen when several alluvial fans fusetogether.

Bankfull Discharge: It is the maximum discharge made by a river without flooding.

Barrage: A barrage is defined as a barrier in a watercourse to divert it or to increase the depth of

the water.

Barrier Beach: A bar shaped sand or a low-lying coral island, which is parallel to the coastline butslightly away from it is called a barrier beach.

Basal Sapping: In geographical terms, basal sapping means erosion at the foot of a slope caused bychemical erosion usually in tropical areas.

Basalt: Basalt is an igneous rock. This fine grained rock is formed when erupted lava cools downrapidly under water.

Base Flow: Groundwater seepage, which flows into streams is known as base flow.

Base Level: The lowest level at which the erosion can take place is known as the base level.


5/38

Basic Volcano: Basic volcano is when hot lava, having low viscosity erupts from the vent and coolsdown to form a shallow conical mountain surface.

Battery Farming: The latest geography term, battery farming is a cost-effective method of farmingused to reduce the per unit cost. The cattle are reared in cages and are watered and fedautomatically.

Beach: In geography terminology a beach is accumulation of sand and shingles along a water bodydue to sedimentation.

Beach Depletion: Loss of sand and shingles from the beach due to low replenishment and rising sealevels and longshore drift is called beach depletion.

Beaufort Scale: Beaufort scale is a measure used to describe the speed of wind on the basis ofobservations of the sea conditions. This is an empirical instrument created in 1805 by Sir FrancisBeaufort.

Bedding Plane: Bedding planes are boundaries that define the layers or strata of a sedimentary rock.

Bed Load: In geography terms list, bed load describes the flowing particles that are transportedalong the river bed with the currents. A bed load movements are rolling, sliding, traction andsaltation.

Bedrock: In geographical terms, a bedrock is a consolidated rock form beneath the surface of theearth.

Benthos: Benthos are the marine organisms that live near, in or on the seabed. In geography terms,

these regions are called the benthic zone.

Bergeron-Findeisen Process: Bergeron-Findeisen process is the process of rain formation. It is theformation of cold rain or ice crystal in the cold clouds of the mid and higher latitudes of theatmosphere.

Biofuel: Substances such as gas, alcohol and long dead biological material constitute biofuel. Use oforganic materials makes biofuel different from fossil fuels.

Biogas: Biogas in geography glossary of terms and definitions is defined as a type of biofuel

produced from decomposition of organic matter without oxygen.

Biological Control: Biological control is a natural way of controlling weeds and pests in agriculture.

Biomass: Biomass can be defined in two ways:

1. Biomass is a conventional and renewable source of energy. This energy is generated from deadorganic or living organic materials such as wood and plants. Read more on biomass energy.

2. Biomass is defined as the living matter and biological organisms in a particular area's ecosystem

at a given time.

Biome: Biome are areas with similar climatic conditions, similar ecology of plants, animals and soilorganisms. There are commonly known as ecosystems.


6/38

Biomonitoring: Biomonitoring is a detailed observation of an ecosystem to monitor, understand andrecord changes.

Biosphere: Biosphere is the sum total of the ecosystems present in the world. In other words,biosphere is a global integration of all living beings, their interactions, interdependence andrelationships.

Biota: Biota is the collection of a wide range of plant and animal life of a geographic region.

Biotope: Biotope is an area with uniform climatic conditions, conducive to specific plants andanimals. The meaning of biotope is similar to habitat.

Biotechnology: Biotechnology is a technology, which uses biology, agriculture, food science andmedicine for research and development in the field of pharmacy.

Biotic Factors: Biotic factors are all living organisms of an ecosystem. It is the effect of one livingorganism on another, which include animals, plants, humans and aquatic flora and fauna.

Blizzard: A blizzard is a torrential winter storm having very low temperatures, strong winds andheavy snow.

Blowout Depression: Blowout depressions are formed in sandy areas due to erosion of sediments bywinds.

Brackish: Brackish water has more salinity than freshwater. But the salinity is less than the seawater.

Breaker: Breakers are reefs against which sea waves break.

Brown Earth: It is a type of soil that is found in European deciduous woodland areas.

C

Caldera: Caldera is a large crater formed by an explosion (volcanic) or by a fall of a volcanic cone.

Canopy: When trees make an umbrella over a given land surface it's called a canopy.

Canyon: A deep and wide steep valley is called a canyon.

Capillary Action: The upward movement of water through soil is known as the capillary action.

Capillary Water: The principal source of moisture for plants, capillary water is the moisture storedbetween the soil particles.

Carbon tax: Carbon tax is levied on products made from fossil fuels to discourage consumers frombuying it and to prevent global warming.

Cardinal Points: North, South, East and West are known as cardinal points.

Carrying Capacity: Carrying capacity is the theory that a particular environment can hold only acertain level of population.


7/38

Cartogram: Cartogram is used to show statistical data pertaining to geographical distribution on amap.

Cartography: Cartography in geographic terminology means the art or techniques of making maps.

Cash Cropping: Cash cropping is growing crops for the purpose of making money.

Cataract: As a geography term, cataract means a huge waterfall that descends from a great height.

Catastrophism: Catastrophism is a belief that the world emerged from a sudden catastrophic eventas opposed to a slow and gradual process.

Catchment Area: Catchment area is the land where precipitation levels are high, which thus,becomes a land fit to make a reservoir.

Cation Exchange Capacity: Cation exchange capacity is the property of the soil to hold on to thecations. It is a measure of soil fertility and nutrient retention capacity.

Cave: A recess in the ground, mountain or a valley is called a cave.

Census: Census means the official count of the population. It is done periodically, usually after everyten years. It is done by gathering relevant demographic data.

Channel: A channel is a deeper part of a harbor or a river meant for navigation. It is a broad straitthat connects two water bodies or seas.

Choke Point: A choke point is a narrow passage or a point of crowding.

Chorology: Chorology is the study of regions or aerial differentiation.

Choropleth Map: Choropleth Maps show the difference in regions using different colors and shading.

Circumference of the Earth: The circumference of the Earth is 24,901.55 miles or 40,075.16kilometers, when measured from the equator. If measured from the poles, the circumferencemeasures to 24,859.82 miles or 40,008 kilometers.

Cirque: A bowl-shaped hollow carved on a mountain top is called a cirque.

Cliff: A tall, steep and a vertical rock surface is called a cliff.

Climate: Climate is defined as a characteristic meteorological conditions prevailing in a particulararea. This includes precipitation, temperature and wind patterns.

Climate Change: It is the variations in climatic conditions, especially, in the rainfall pattern andaverage temperature. More on causes of climate change.

Climatology: Climatology is the study of climate of different geographical regions.

Climax Vegetation: A stable vegetation, which is grown naturally under certain environmentalconditions is called climax vegetation.


8/38

Clouds: Clouds are clusters of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. There areformed due to condensation in the atmosphere and may even consist of dust, smoke and otherparticles.

Cloud Seeding: Cloud seeding is an attempt to stimulate precipitation in the atmosphere byreleasing dry ice crystals or silver iodide particles over and around storm clouds in a given area.

Coast: A coast is a strip of land running along the sea. It is a point where the sea meets the land.

Coastal Landforms: Land areas next to the sea or the coast line, which are prone to erosion anddepositions due to change in the sea levels are known as coastal landforms. Read more on types oflandforms.

Coastal Management: Coastal management refers to the attempt to prevent erosion and flooding inthe coastal areas.

Cold Desert: Cold and arid zones in high latitudes due to lack of precipitation or locking of water in

ice are known as cold deserts.

Cold Front: The line of distinction between the cold areas and the warm areas is known as the coldfront.

Cold Glacier: Cold glacier is the glacier where the temperature is -30?C all year around. As theglacier is stationary or moves at a very low speed, erosion is very less.

Collective Farming: Collective farming is a farming trend where the land is leased by thegovernment to 'collective' or a group of farmers. These farmers use the land and share the profits

among themselves. The term originated in the USSR, but due to its inefficiency it died out afterWorld War 2.

Commercial Farming: Commercial farming in geographical terminology, means farming for makingprofits through market sale.

Community Forests: Community forests means creating recreational forests that are accessible topeople.

Composite Volcano: Composite volcano is a volcanic cone which has alternate layers of lava and

ashes.

Compressing Flow: Compressing flow is when the layer of ice becomes thicker and slow due togradient reduction.

Condensation: Condensation is a geographical terminology which means formation of water dropletsor ice crystals in the atmosphere as the water vapor cools down and reaches the dew point.

Confluence: Confluence is the point where two rivers meet or merge.

Coniferous Woodland: Woodlands or forests that consists of coniferous trees are called coniferouswoodland.

Connate Water: The trapped water between breaks or interstices of rocks during its formation is


9/38

called connate water.

Continental Divide: Continental divide is an imaginary line that divides the continents and decideswhich ocean precipitation will flow into it.

Consequent Stream: An emergence of a stream as a result of consequent uplift is called aconsequent stream.

Conservation: In geography, conservation means the process of maintaining natural landscape aswell as the man-made landscape just the way it is.

Constructive Plate Margin: Constructive plate margin is a part of the theory of plate tectonics. Theplate boundaries of two crustal plate have lateral movement, which allows the magma to surfacefrom the mantle to form new crust.

Constructive Wave: It is a low frequency and a low height wave, which leaves the material from thesea on the beach as the swash is stronger than the backwash.

Continental Climate: Continental climate is the typical climate pertaining to the interiors of acontinent.

Continental Plate: It is a part of the earth's crust that is made up of sial.

Continental Drift: Continental drift is a theory that proposes that the continents of the earth move onthe tectonic plates.

Continental Shelf: Continental shelf is the extension of continents or land mass into the oceans.

Continental shelves make up the shallowest part of the ocean.

Continents: Continents are the huge land masses on earth. Geologically there are seven continentson the earth. They are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia.

Continuous Permafrost: Continuous permafrost is permanently frozen land in the Polar regions,which remains the same all round the year.

Contour Interval: Contour interval is the difference in heights of land surfaces between contourlines.

Contour Line: Contour lines are the lines showing the places having the same height above sea level.

Contour Plowing : Contour plowing is the horizontal plowing so that the furrows remain with thecontours.

Contour Map: Contour map shows the elevation of land masses above the sea levels and its surfacefeatures using contour lines.

Co-operative Agriculture: It is when farmers get-together for improving farming techniques and

making the business cost-effective with the purpose of sharing profits we call it as co-operativeagriculture.

Conurbation: When several developed areas come together to make an urban area, it Megapolis
http://www.astucespiratage.com/megapolis-hack-cheats-telecharger-tool-free-megabucks-and-coins/http://www.astucespiratage.com/megapolis-hack-cheats-telecharger-tool-free-megabucks-and-coins/


10/38

cheatsis called conurbation.

Coral Reef: Coral reef is the accumulation of dead coral, which make the lowest layer, while the liveones live on top.

Core: Core is the central most area of the earth, which has high temperatures. It is composed of ironand nickel.

Coriolis Force: Coriolis force is the effect of the force on the hemispheres of the earth as it rotatesaround itself.

Coriolis Effect: Due to earth's rotation, the freely moving things in the Northern Hemisphere movetowards the right and in the Southern Hemisphere they move towards the left. This is called the

Coriolis Effect. This effect is seen on winds, ocean currents and airplanes.

Corrasion: Corrasion is erosion due to abrasion or rubbing.

Corrie: Corrie is a bowl shaped hollow carved on top of a glacier.

Corrie Glacier: Corie glacier is the cause of corrie and responsible for its formation.

Country: A country is a political outline defined by political boundaries on the continents.

Cove: A cove is a small recess or cave in a mountain valley.

Convection: Convection is transfer of heat in gas and liquid, which is found in atmospheric, oceanicand asthenospheric mediums. The heat moves up as it gets lighter.

Convection Current: Convection current is the circular movement of substance under convection in agiven space.

Crater: Crater is a depression on the surface of the earth due to an impact making explosion orcollapse.

Creek: A creek is a small stream. It is generally a shallow tributary of a river.

Creep: A creep is a very slow movement of soil down a slope.

Crevasse: A deep crack in a glacier is known as crevasse.

Crust: The outermost layer of the earth is called the crust. It is about 5 km to 80 km thick and ismade up of sial and sima.

Crustal Plate: The sial and sima present in the crust make up the crustal plate.

Cultivation: Cultivation is preparing the soil to grow crops and to make it more fertile.


11/38

Cultural Geography: Cultural geography is the study of human civilization and its impact on thegeography.

Cultural Landscape: Cultural landscape is defined as the study of past and present uses of the landfor cultivation by people.

Cumec: Cumec is the unit used to measure water flow rate in natural streams.

Cuspate Foreland: A triangular shaped beach is called a cuspate foreland.

Cusps: Small areas which resemble a beach within the beach areas are called cusps.

Cyclone: A very low pressure system that cause devastation, heavy rainfall and low temperatures areknown as cyclones. More on what is a cyclone.

D

Dam: In geography terminology, a dam is an obstruction in the course of water, to raise the level ofwater.

Death Rate: As a part of geography terms list, death rate means the ratio of deaths to the totalpopulation in a given area and in a given time. It is generally measured in deaths per 1,000 personsof the total population in a given year.

Debris: Debris is defined as the rubble that is left behind after destruction and damage.

Deciduous Woodland: Forest which comprises deciduous trees, characterized by flat and broad

leaves which shed during fall are known as deciduous woodlands.

Declination: Declination is the point when the sun is at exact 90? above the horizon on a latitude.

Decomposer: Decomposer is an organism which decomposes the organic matter into its 'inorganicchemical compounds' for recycling through an ecosystem.

Decomposition: The process of conversion of organic matter into simpler substances by decomposersis called decomposition.

Deep Sea Trench: A deep, long and narrow depression in the sea floor is known as a deep seatrench. Mariana Trench in the Pacific ocean is known to be the deepest trench in the oceanic world.

A trench has steep sides which go on for several kilometers.

Deforestation: Wanton cutting down of trees and clearing of forests for human use is calleddeforestation. Deforestation leads to soil erosion and reduces the capacity of the soil to retain water.

Deglaciation: Deglaciation means reduction of glacial cover due to rise in ablation thanaccumulation.

Deglomeration: Deglomeration is a movement of industrial unit such as factories and manufacturingunits from densely populated areas.

Degradation: It is defined as the gradual wearing down of banks, rocks etc, which is caused by water


12/38

and frost.

Delta: In geographical terminology, a delta is a triangular plain, usually at the mouth of the river,where alluvial soil is deposited.

Dendritic: Dendritic is a description of a stream which resembles the pattern of a tree.

Dendrochronology: Dendrochronology is the process of studying the age of a full-grown tree byreading the concentric rings on its trunk.

Denitrification: It is a geography term which means conversion of nitrates into nitrogen by thebacteria present in the soil. This makes the soil less fertile.

Denudation: As a term in geography glossary, denudation means removal of soil from the surfacelayer.

Dependent Variable: A dependent variable in geography terminology means one that is directlyaffected by another.

Deposition: Deposition is the act of settling down in one place. This geography term is normally usedto describe settling down of soil, due to the agent of erosion, in a particular place.

Depression: The region which has low barometric pressures due to circular movement of isobars,

warm front and cold front, inward and anti-clockwise winds is known as depression.

Derelict Land: Derelict land is the land which has had a heavy impact of activities such as miningand quarrying and is left neglected.

Desire Line: Desire line connects the movement of people by tracking their origin with theirdestination on a map.

Destructive Plate Margin: Destructive plate margin is a terminology used in the theory of platetectonics. The geographic term means, the movement of plates towards each other, during which

one is destroyed as it returns to the mantle. The abrasion might be amongst oceanic plates orcontinental plates. It is always the denser of the two plates which is subducted.

Destructive Wave: It is a powerful wave, which washes away beach material, because of strongerbackwash than its swash.

Detritivore: Detritivore is an organism that feeds on dead material.

Development Area: As a geography term, a development area means an area which is backed by aneconomic support.

Development Model: Development model is a theory which explains how and why developmentoccurs.


13/38

Dew: Dew is condensation of water on the ground surfaces in winter time or on cold mornings.

Dew Point: Dew point is the temperature at which air becomes saturated and results in dew.

Diastrophism: Diastrophism is a process distortion by which the crusts, continents, mountains,depressions, faults and oceanic beds are formed.

Diffluence: Diffluence as a part of geography glossary means breaking off, of a smaller glacier froma larger one, which then crosses a drainage divide.

Discharge: Discharge is the volume of water flowing through any water body per unit time.

Discontinuous Permafrost: Discontinuous permafrost are areas between 50?North and the ArcticCircle, where temperature varies between -1? to -5?. Some area remains permafrost stretching up to50 meters in depth, whereas some area remains under little frost due to local warmer conditions likerivers.

Discordant Coast: When a band of differing rocks run perpendicular to a sea, it is known as adiscordant coast line.

Dispersal: The process of dispersion or distribution by wind is known as dispersal.

Dissolved Load: The materials carried by a river or any water body is known as dissolved load.

Distance Decay: The distance through which ocean waves pass after drifting away from thegenerating area.

Distributary: A branch of a river that flows away from the river and never rejoins it.

Distribution: It is the act of distributing or being distributed; the apportionment of resources or anyother item such as moving products from manufacturing to the consumers.

Distribution Channel: It is a path or a line through which products are carried to the market.

Diurnal: It means occurring in a period of 24 hours or which has a daily cycle.

Divergent Plate Margin: A boundary of tectonic plates, as they drift apart and new crust forms from

the magma which rises up.

Dormitory Settlement: A place or a town, where its residents are daily commuters as they areemployed in some other place.

Doubling Time: Doubling time is the time frame or a period required for doubling of something invalue or quantity, e.g. population, inflation.

Draa: A large sand dune that is hundreds of feet in height and runs for miles together.

Drainage Basin: It is an area which is drained by a system of rivers and its tributaries.

Dredging: It is the deepening or widening of a channel by removing sediment from the bottom of ariver or sea. This is done to improve navigation or to obtain construction materials.


14/38

Drift: To be carried along by river or water currents is known as drift.

Drought: A long period defined by low or no rainfall, which has an adverse effect on livingconditions.

Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate (DALR): The rate at which atmospheric variable decreases with height isknown as the dry adiabatic lapse rate.

Dry Valley: A valley which does not have a permanent water resource and which is set in chalk orkarst dominant topography is called a dry valley.

Dune: A ridge made by wind blown sand in arid in coastal areas.

Dust Bowl: It is a region rendered dry and arid due to drought and sand storms.

Dike: It is a wall built to avoid flooding.

E

Earthquake: A sudden movement of Earth's crust due to subterranean causes, which is oftenaccompanied by a rumbling noise is known as earthquake.

Ebb Tide: A receding tide is called an ebb tide.

Ecology: A study of relationships between environment and the organisms living together is calledecology.

Ecosystem: It is the ecological community and its environment, functioning as one whole unit.

Ecotone: A transitional zone of two communities having 'characteristic species of each other'.

Edaphic: It relates to soil rather than climate. Soil properties that influence plant growth anddistribution.

Effective Precipitation: Effective precipitation is actual precipitation after losses by evaporation.

El Nino: The warming of surface water on the western coast of South America, which causes

irregular weather patterns is known by the term El Nino. This takes place every 4 to 12 years.

Eluviation: Downward movement of suspended particles in soil when rainfall is more thanevaporation is known as eluviation .

Emergent Coast: An emergent coast is defined as the coast where the land level is rising ascompared to the sea level.

Emergent Plants: Emergent plants are those plants which are rooted in shallow waters and havetheir growth above the water level.

Endogenetic: In a geography glossary, the term endogenetic means, the rocks that are formedbeneath the Earth's surface.


15/38

Energy Conservation: Energy conservation refers to saving the energy that is used up in the systemas it is an exhaustible source of energy.

Energy Source: Any material that acts as fuel is called an energy source. For example, coal, gas,petrol and wood are energy sources.

Englacial: In geography terms, englacial means which lies within the glacier.

Entrainment: It means to pull or draw along in a current.

Environment: Environment is the totality of conditions, surroundings and organisms living together.

Epeirogeny: The uplift or depression formed in the Earth's crust, which usually form large areas. Forexample plateaus and basins.

Ephemeral: A trend which last for a short period is called ephemeral in geography terms.

Epicenter: Epicenter is the exact point of origin of an earthquake.

Equator: In geographical terminology, an equator is an imaginary circle drawn around the center ofthe Earth surface, which divides the planet into two equal spheres.

Equatorial Climate: Rainy and humid conditions around the tropics is known as the equatorialclimate.

Erosion: The process of eroding or of wearing out the surface area is known as soil erosion.

Eruption: An outburst of volcano is known as eruption.

Escarpment: A steep slope or a ridge which is formed due to erosion is called an escarpment.

Esker: A narrow elongated ridge made from coarse gravel, which is deposited by a flowing waterstream is called esker.

Estuary: A wide part of the river near the sea, where the salt water mixes with the freshwater.

Eutrophication: In geography terms, eutrophication is a process wherein the water bodies get excessof nutrients which stimulate proliferation of plant growth.

Evaporation: The change of water into vapor is known as evaporation.

Exotic Species: Exotic species are those species which have been introduced to another geographicregion outside its native region.

Extending Flow: As the downstream distance increases, the velocity of the glacial flow also


16/38

increases. This is known as extending flow.

Extensive Agriculture: Extensive agriculture refers to the cultivation of large areas with minimumexpense on labor.

F

Famine: A drastic and a long spell of food shortage, a dearth of water which results in poor livingconditions is known as famine.

Fault: In geography terms, a fault is a crack in the Earth's crust, which may be the result of tension,compression and horizontal tearing.

Faulting: A faulting is a shallow earthquake that causes displacement around the fault.

Fauna: In geographical terminology, fauna refers to the animal species inhabiting a particularregion.

Feldspar: Feldspar is the name of a rock forming minerals which are commonly present in igneous,plutonic and metamorphic rocks.

Fen: A low lying swampy land is known as fen.

Ferralitic: Ferralitic soils have very high aluminum and iron content. These soils are very weatheredand are generally found in the tropical regions.

Fertilizer: It is a natural or a synthetic material used for making soil fit for cultivation.

Field Capacity: Field capacity in geography terms, is explained as the maximum water retentioncapacity of the soil.

Firn: A semi consolidated snow, which has passed through one season of melt, but is not yet glacialin nature.

Fissure: It is a long narrow opening or a crack. Fissure is the process of splitting up.

Fjord: A narrow and long inlet of sea set between steep cliffs or slopes.

Flash Flood: Flash flood is the sudden overwhelming rise of water levels due to a heavy rainfall.

Flocculation: The process in which the soil comes together to form fluffy and lumps of masses.

Flood: It is an overwhelming rise in the water level, which enters the settlement areas.

Floodplain: In a geography glossary, a floodplain is an area located next to the river. As this area ishighly prone to floods it is called floodplain.


17/38

Flora: Plants of a particular country, region or time is called flora.

Flume: It is a narrow gorge, which has a stream flowing through it.

Fluvioglacial: Fluvioglacial are streams or rivers, which are formed due to melting of glaciers.

Fluvioglacial Landforms: Fluvioglacial landforms are landforms molded by glacial meltwater.

Fog: In geographical terms, fog is condensed water vapor which is closer to the ground and whichobstructs visibility.

Fhn: Fhn is dry warm winds, which blow from the lee side of mountain slopes.

Folding: Folding in geographical terms, means a bent of stratified rocks formed due to tectonicmovements in the Earth's crust.

Fold Mountains: In a geography glossary, mountains that are formed due to folding are known asfold

mountains.

Food Chain: A group or organisms that are interdependent on each other for food make a food chain.This is an important part of our ecosystem.

Food Web: A food web is a complex structure of all food chains in the ecosystem.

Fossil Fuel: Fuel which is extracted from the bowels of the Earth is called fossil fuel. This fuel isderived from decaying of dead organic matter.

Fossil Water: Fossil water or paleowater is groundwater that has remained in an aquifer formillennia.

Freeze-thaw Weathering: Weathering of rock which occurs as water enters the cracks of the rocksand freezes is known as freeze-thaw weathering in geographical terms.

Frost: A deposit of tiny water crystals, which is formed as the temperature touches the freezingpoint.

Frost Shattering: Frost shattering is the mechanical weathering of rocks or also weathering.

Fuelwood: Fuelwood is defined as the wood, basically, used as fuel for cooking and heating.

G

Garrigue: In geography terms, a garrigue is an evergreen vegetation of the Mediterranean regions.They are xerophytic in nature for instance, rosemary and thyme.

GATT: It is an acronym for General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

Gelifluction: In a geography glossary, gelifluction means downward movement of rock debris andwater filled soil, which moves over the frozen surface.

General Circulation: The circular motion of the global flow patterns is called general circulation.


18/38

Geographic Information System (GIS): A geographic information system (GIS), or geographicalinformation system captures, stores, analyzes, manages, and presents data of a particular location.

Geologic Time: The time which refers to the formation and development of the Earth is known asgeologic time.

Geostationary Orbit: The orbit that is 35,900 km above Earth's equator, which has the same time ofrotation as the Earth's is known as geostationary orbit.

Geothermal: Geothermal refers to the heat that originates from the Earth.

Glacial Diversion: A shift in the periglacial stream due to a glacial action is known as glacialdiversion.

Glacial Landform: Landforms such as mountains, large plateaus, plains and valleys that are createdby the deposition of ice are known as glacial landforms.

Glacial Movement: The movement of glacier caused by the melting of ice as there is friction betweenthe ice and the surface is known as glacial movement due to basal slipping.

Glacial Trough: A steep valley forming an U-shape, which comes down from the cirque is known asglacial trough. These troughs are created by glacial excavation.

Glacier: A huge mass of ice formed by accumulation of snow is called a glacier.

Global Warming: The gradual increase in the Earth's temperature due to entrapment of greenhousegases is known as global warming.

Global Dimming: Global dimming is the gradual reduction in the amount of global direct irradianceat the Earth's surface that was observed for several decades after the start of systematicmeasurements in the 1950s.

Gorge: A steep and narrow valley, which has steep rocky sides is called a gorge.

Graben: It is the layer of Earth's crust which lies at the end of a rift valley due to subsidence of itstwo sides.

Gravitational Water: The water in a soil, which percolates to the force of gravity is known asgravitational water.

Green Belt: A belt or a large area which is covered with green pastures is called a green belt.

Greenhouse Effect: In geography terms, greenhouse effect is a term used to describe a phenomenonwherein the Earth traps solar radiation due to atmospheric carbon dioxide, water vapor andmethane and radiates the heat back to the Earth's surface. More on what is the greenhouse effect.


19/38

Green Revolution: A major increase in agricultural activity by using high-yield grains, effectivepesticides, and improved management techniques is known as green revolution.

Groundwater: It is the reserve or a store of water created by percolation of water into the soil or intolayers of bedrock.

H

Habitat: It is the environment where a species or a community of animals or plants live.

Hail: Precipitation which comes down in the form of irregular shapes of ice is known as hail.

Hamada: A flat and exposed bedrock in a dry area is known as hamada.

Hanging Valley: It is a tributary valley which joins the main deep valley formed due to a glacialerosion.

Hardpan: A layer of hard ground or subsoil is called hardpan in geographical terms. It is formed bythe illuviation and precipitation of material like clay, hummus and iron.

Headward Erosion: Erosion which is caused at the head of valley by the flow of the water is knownas headward erosion in geography terms.

Headwaters: These are the streams, usually tributaries of a river arising in a particular area.

Heat Equator: A line that goes around the Earth and joins all the highest mean annual temperaturefor their longitudes. It is also known as thermal equator.

Heat Island: An area which is comparatively hotter due to heat retention by concrete buildings isknown as heat island.

Heathland: Uncultivated land which has sandy soil and stunted vegetation is known as a heathland.

Hemisphere: Half of a sphere or half of the Earth divided by the equator into the NorthernHemisphere and Southern Hemisphere or the eastern and western hemisphere divided by ameridian.

High Tide: High tide is when the water reaches its highest level.

Hinterland: A region or an area away from the urban areas is known as a hinterland.

Horizon: The point of apparent intersection of the sky and land or water is known as horizon.

Horticulture: The science of cultivating fruits, vegetables and flowers is known as horticulture ingeographical terms.

Humidity: Dampness in the air is known as humidity, which is the result of the water vapor content


20/38

in the atmosphere.

Humus: The topmost layer of the soil which is black and brown in color is called humus. It is mainlymade up of decayed vegetables and organic matter and has the ability to retain water.

Hurricane: A tropical cyclone, which has a constant speed of 74 miles per hour is known ashurricane in geographical terms.

I

Ice Core: A cylinder of ice drilled out of a glacier is known as an ice core. It can be used fordetermining the climate in the past.

Ice Lens: An ice area which has convex lens on both of its sides is known as an ice lens.

Ice Sheet: Extensive layers of ice covering a large area (often over 50000 km2, are known as icesheets.

Ice Wedge: In geography terminology, an almost vertical ice sheet tapering downward for about 12mis an ice wedge.

Illuviation: Deposition of colloids, soluble salts and mineral particles in the lower layers of the soildue to percolation from the above layers is termed illuviation.

Incised Stream: A deep water course formed as the new river cuts through the original water course.

Infield-Outfield: An outdated farming system, wherein the land closer to the farming building gets

intensive farming and the one farther away is left fallow for animal grazing.

Inorganic: This geography term means one which involves all the inorganic matter or abioticelements of the environment.

Intensive Agriculture: The inflow and usage of upgraded technology, capital and trained labor inproduction, is known as intensive agriculture or intensive farming. It is an agricultural productionsystem and is characterized by highly organized technical tools such as good quality fertilizers andpesticides. More on advantages and disadvantages for intensive farming.

Interception: The process by which the precipitation is caught and held by the leaves, foliage, twigsand branches, is termed as interception. This water never reaches the ground as it gets evaporated.

Interdependence: The mutual relation of dependence between the elements of the environment isknown as interdependence.

Ice Berg: A huge floating mass of ice is known as an ice berg in geography terms.

International Dateline: An imaginary line which lies around 180 meridian from Greenwich and isthe basis of the calendar dates is known as the international dateline.


21/38

Interquartile Range: The area which is exposed to air due to the movement of tides is theinterquartile range. It's the area which connects the sea to the land.

Intertropical Convergence Zone: This is a term used to describe the convergence of the North-Eastand the South-East trade wind.

Intrazonal Soil: A type of soil that is developed by a local factor and not through climatic changes iscalled intrazonal soil.

Intrusive Landform: Intrusive landforms are made by cooling of magma. These form igneous rockswithin the crust and are then known as intrusive landforms.

Irrigation: A well-developed technique of watering the land for agricultural purposes is calledirrigation in geography terms list.

Island: A body of land surrounded by water in all sides is known as an island in simple geographicalterms.

Island Arc: An arc-shaped chain formed by undersea volcanic mountains is known as island arc.

Isobar: A line drawn on a map which connects the points of equal pressures (high and low) is knownas an isobar.

Isostatic: Increase or decrease in the land levels due to the melting/formation of ice sheets, is anisostatic phenomenon.

Isotropic: Flat land areas having uniform soil and weather conditions and other conditions being

variable, are called isotropic areas.

J

Jet Stream: A water course flowing at a high speed through a valley or a plain. It normally flows fromwest to east.

Joints: A naturally formed crack that runs through a rock are called joints.

Juvenile Water: In geography terms, water that is formed within the Earth and reaches the surface

through an intrusive rock is called juvenile water.

K

Kame: In a geography terms list, kame is a small ridge of sand and gravel that is formed when theglacier melts.

Kame Terrace: A flat plain or land made up of sand and gravel formed as the water melts in a glaciallake.

Kaolin: In geography terms, kaolin is fine clay formed due to chemical weathering of granite throughhydrolysis.

Katabatic: A downward flow of cold wind is known as katabatic wind in geography terms.


22/38

Kettlehole: It is a hollow or a depression found in the glacial areas formed due to melting of ice.

Knickpoint: It is the point of merger of the old profile with the new profile in a rejuvenating river.

L

Lacustrine: The geography term lacustrine refers to lakes, water bodies and biota.

Lagoon: A protected water body which lies between a reef and the coastline is known as lagoon asper geography terms.

Lahar: In geography terminology, lahar is the mudflow associated with a volcanic activity.

Lake: A water body lying within the continental mass is termed as lake.

Laminar Flow: Laminar flow is a non-turbulent viscous flow of fluid in geography terms.

Land Breeze: In geography glossary, the breeze which flows from the land to the sea is known as theland breeze.

Landfill: A site where domestic, commercial or industrial waste is disposed off is termed as landfill.

Landslide: A rapid and sudden downward movement of a hill or a mountain mass made up of rocks,sand and gravel is called a landslide.

Land Reclamation: Improving, recovering or developing land for human use is known as landreclamation in geography terms.

Latitude: Imaginary horizontal lines on the Earth that run along the equator in both the hemispheresare known as latitudes.

Lava: Molten rock which flows to the Earth during a volcanic eruption is known as lava.

Leaching: Leaching is the act of removing soluble minerals from the soil by percolation of liquids.

Lee: The sheltered side of the slope or a mound is known as lee.

Lessivage: The downward movement of clay contents in the soil due to the movement of water is


23/38

called lessivage.

Lithosphere: The upper layer of the mantle of the Earth is the lithosphere. It is approximately 100km thick.

Litter Layer: Layer of dead organic litter or waste in the process of decomposition.

Littoral: In geography terms, littoral is used to describe the shore. It can also be defined as theregion between the limits of low and high tides.

Load: The rock and gravel material transported by river or any agent of erosion.

Loam: The kind of soil which has approximately equal proportions of sand, silt and clay.

Longitude: These are the imaginary vertical lines running along the eastern and western hemisphereof the Earth, which are used to measure the distance, location and time.

Longshore Drift: The net movement of gravel, sand, soil and sediments along the coastline is knownas longshore drift. This movement occurs under gravity.

Low Tide: The lowest point of sea water is known as the low tide.

M

Magma: Magma refers to the molten rock below the surface of the earth. It is normally found in themantle or the crust of the earth. Find out what is magma made of.

Magma Plume: One of the very crucial geography terms, magma plume is the rising magma withinthe mantle.

Mangrove Swamp: It refers to a kind of wetland forest which has salt adapted trees. It is mainlyfound in inter tidal zone of tropical coast areas. They, in addition to preventing soil erosion, on thecoasts, also provide a rich habitat for a good amount of biodiversity.

Mantle: Between the crust and the core of the earth, there is another layer. That is called themantle. This word is another 'must have' in a geography terms list.

Maquis: Maquis, a French word, basically refers to a shrubland biome, especially in theMediterranean region. It consists of dense evergreen shrubs, like juniper and myrtle. The word is

derived from the plural form of Italian word 'macchia', which means thicket in English. It is found inareas where forests have been cleared by humans.


24/38

Mariculture: It is a branch of aqua culture, which specializes in the breeding and cultivation ofmarine organisms in salt water.

Marina: It is an artificial mooring area or dock, especially made for mooring of a pleasure craft andis protected form the sea.

Maritime: Maritime simply means anything related to the sea. This is one of the very importantgeography terms.

Maritime Climate: Maritime climate is the climate found in areas near coastal regions, where theclimate is affected by the land's proximity to the sea.

Marram Grass: This a type of grass, which thrives in dry and sandy environment.

Mean Annual Flood: This is an annual mean average of the optimum flood discharges by a specificriver.

Meander: It is a very pronounced and prominently looping bend in a river. Meanders separatethemselves from the river later and then become non-existent. Meander is one of the most favoritegeography definitions of any geography course book.

Mediterranean Climate: It is the climatic characteristics observed around the Mediterranean region.This is one of the most common geographical terms.

Megalopolis: An expansive length of metropolitan area, brought about by joint urban centers iscalled a megalopolis.

Meltwater: Meltwater is simply the water which has been derived from the melting of snow or ice.

Meridian: A line passing through south pole and north pole, forming a circle.

Mesa: A hill having a flat surface at the top, but which rises prominently around the surroundinglandscape is called a Mesa.

Mesozoic: It is the name of a geologic era, which was around 245 to 65 million years ago.

Meteorology: The branch of geography involving the study of atmosphere is called meteorology.

Microclimate: Climatic conditions on a local, micro level, which shows the differentiation betweenthat and the general and macro climatic conditions.

Mid-Oceanic Ridge: Formed by lava, a mid oceanic rid is a long range of mountains under sea.

Mining: Mining is simply extracting minerals from the crust of the earth for solely industrialobjectives.

Mist: It is nothing but a light fog.


25/38

Mistral: Katabatic wind, wind which blows down the slope of a mountain, is called Mistral in French.

Monoculture: It is a type of an agricultural system, where the norm is to cultivate a single crop.

Monsoon: This refers to a prevailing seasonal wind, which is of two types - summer monsoon andwinter monsoon. Well, this is perhaps one of the most cliched and run of the mill geography termsand geography definitions. More on what causes monsoons.

Moor: A hilly tract of land, having typically wet, spongy soil and comprising moss, heather andcoarse grass is called moor.

Mor: A partially decomposed humus layer having high level of acids and devoid of nutrients is calledmor.

Moraine: The movement of a glacier results in transportation of unwanted material from a place toanother. So the debris that is deposited by the glacier is called moraine.

Morphology: It is the study of various landforms and the different processes which result in thoseparticular geographical landforms.

Mouth: The spot where a river joins another water body is called the mouth of the river.

N

National Parks: National parks are areas of land declared as public property by a nationalgovernment, in order to protect them from human exploitation and to develop them for recreationalpurposes.

Natural Decrease: A decrease in human population, due to a high death rate as compared to thebirth rate, is known as natural decrease.

Natural Increase: An increase in human population, due to a high birth rate and a low mortality rate,is known is natural increase.

Natural Resources: Natural resources are substances that occur naturally in nature and have aneconomic and commercial value.

Nature Reserve: A nature reserve is an area that has been created for the preservation of a naturalheritage and for the conservation of nature and its components like flora, fauna, geological featuresand wildlife.

Neap Tide: A neap tide is a tide that occurs in the first and third quarters of the moon, caused whenthe difference between the high tide and the low tide is the least.

Nitrate: In geographical terms, nitrate is an inorganic compound made up of one atom of nitrogenand three atoms of oxygen.

Nitrogen Cycle: A cycle of the circulation of nitrogen in the atmosphere, consisting of certain


26/38

chemical reactions in which atmospheric nitrogen is converted into nitrogen oxides by lightning,rain, and deposition in soil is called the nitrogen cycle. It is collected and metabolized by thebacteria present in the plants and is returned to the atmosphere when organic matter is decomposedby bacteria.

Nitrogen Fixation: Nitrogen fixation is a stage in the nitrogen cycle in which atmospheric nitrogen isconverted into ammonia by various bacteria, either naturally or through industrial processes.

Nivation: In geography, soil or rock erosion caused due to the action of frost beneath a snow patchor snowbank is known as nivation.

Nivation Hollow: Nivation hollow is a shallow depression found in periglacial areas formed by theprocess of nivation.

Non-renewable Resources: Natural resources that cannot be produced or regenerated, or that areformed at a very slow rate as compared to its consumption, are known as non-renewable resources.

Non-tariff Barrier: Non-tariff barriers are all trade barriers that restrict international trade, but in aform other than tariffs.

North Atlantic Drift: The north Atlantic drift is a warm ocean current, also known as the GulfStream, that flows towards and warms the climate in northwest Europe.

Northing: The difference in latitude, or the distance covered towards the north, from a point ofreckoning is called northing.

Nuclear Energy: Nuclear energy is the energy released through either of the nuclear reactions of

nuclear fusion or nuclear fission.

Nue Ardente: Nue ardente is a thick cloud of gas that moves rapidly and is oftenincandescent. It is formed due to a volcanic eruption and comprising hot ashes and other volcanicmaterial.

Nunatak: An isolated mountain or hill which projects through glacial ice and is surrounded by icesheets is called nunatak.

Nutrient Sink: Nutrient sink is a kind of ecosystem that stocks organic matter and nutrients.

Nutrient Cycle: The circulation of nutrients in the pathways of an ecosystem that includes their use,transformation, release, and storage by plants is known as the nutrient cycle, in geographical terms.

O

Oasis: A fertile area in a desert or arid land, formed due to water being present in that particulararea, is known as an Oasis.

Obsequent Stream: A stream that flows in a direction opposite to the original slope of the land in the


27/38

area is called an obsequent stream.

Occlusion: As per geographical definitions, occlusion is an atmospheric phenomenon in which a massof cold air surrounds a mass of warm air and forces it to move upwards. If the air surrounding themass of warm is cooler than the cold air ahead of the warm air, it is called a cold occlusion and if theair surrounding the mass of warm is warmer than the cold air ahead of the warm air it is called awarm occlusion.

Ocean Basin: The part of the earth's lithosphere that is taken up by the oceans comprising the oceancrust is known as the ocean basin.

Ocean Current: An ocean current is the flow of surface ocean water in a definable direction.

Oceanic Crust: The earth's crust that is found on the ocean floor in the form of a thick mass ofigneous rocks is called the oceanic crust.

Oceanic Plate: A part of the earth's crust that is found below sea-level and consists mainly of sima is

known as the oceanic plate.

Ocean Trench: An ocean trench is a deep, long, and narrow depression on the ocean floor formeddue to the sliding of an ocean plate beneath another.

Offshore: In geographical terms, offshore can be defined as the moving away of wind from the shoreor land towards the sea.

Omnivore: Omnivore, in geographical terminology, refers to people or animals who feed on both,plants as well as meat.

Onshore: In geographical terms, onshore can be defined as the moving of wind away from the seatowards the shore or land.

Oolith: Ooliths are tiny grains that are spherical in shape, obtained from sedimentary rocks from seawaters, composed of concentric layers of calcium carbonate.

Oolitic Limestone: An oolitic limestone is a type of even textured limestone that comprises oolithsand skeletons of calcareous animals.

Opencast Mining: Opencast mining is the extraction or mining of ores and minerals found close tothe surface of the earth, by removing the material lying above and breaking the ore.

Organic Farming: It is defined as an agricultural process of producing foods naturally without theuse of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Instead, compost, green manure, and environmentalfriendly methods like crop rotation and mechanical cultivation are used for organic food production.

Orogenesis: Orogenesis, in the geography terms list, is defined as the process through whichmountains are formed by the folding and faulting of the earth's crust. Learn more on how aremountains formed.

Orographic: In geography, orographic refers to anything that is related to mountains or related tothe study of mountains.


28/38

Outwash Plain: In geographical glossary, outwash plain is defined as a flat, sloping surface thatcomprises gravel and rock debris, deposited by a network of glacial streams.

Overgrazing: The overfeeding of animals on vegetation cover that leads to the damage of the land, isknown as overgrazing.

Overland Flow: Overland flow occurs when the water flowing on the land surface flows into a bodyof water due to over saturation of the land that it flows on or due to rainfall exceeding infiltration.

Ox-bow Lake: An Ox-bow lake is a crescent-shaped lake that is formed when one of its meanders arecut-off or isolated.

Ozone Layer: A region of the earth's stratosphere that contains a high concentration of ozone, whichis responsible for absorbing the harmful ultraviolet radiation of the sun, is called the ozone layer.Read more on ozone layer depletion.

P

Pacific Rim: The far eastern countries located at the margin of the Pacific ocean which includesAustralia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, South Korea,Singapore and Taiwan form the Pacific rim.

Pacific Ring of Fire: The Pacific ring of fire is a zone of volcanic and seismic activity located on thePacific Rim and falls roughly on the borders of the Pacific Ocean.

Paleoclimate: The inference of the climate of a prehistoric time, obtained by studying geologicalevidence, is called paleoclimate.

Paleozoic: In geographical usage, paleozoic refers to anything that belongs to the Paleozoic era - anera of geological times that existed about 245 million years ago.

Pastoral Farming: Pastoral farming is a kind of farming that involves the rearing of livestock forobtaining milk, meat, wool, etc.

Percolation: The passage of a liquid substance, like water, through a porous object, like rocks or soil,is known as percolation.

Pesticide: Pesticides are chemical substances, or a mixture of various chemical substances, used tokill pests and to prevent their infestation.

Photochemical Smog: A type of smog or air pollution caused due to photochemical reactions ofcompounds like nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons is known as photochemical smog. It is mainlyobserved in large cities with high levels of air pollution.

Physical Weathering: Physical weathering, also known as mechanical weathering, is the breakingdown of rocks and minerals by natural agents like wind, tree roots, action of moving water, andhuman activities like construction and farming.

Piedmont Glacier: A piedmont glacier is a glacier formed due to the meeting of large valley glaciersto form a stagnant ice sheet. This type of glacier is found mainly in Alaska.


29/38

Plantation: A plantation is a large area brought under cultivation in which the crops are raised byresident workers. These crops are sold in distant regions and are not really made available for localconsumption.

Plateau: A large area of land which is slightly raised and has a level surface is called a plateau.

Plate Tectonics: Plate tectonics is a geological theory that explains volcanic and seismic activity,continental drift, formation movement, destruction of the lithospheric plates, and the formation ofmountains.

Pollarding: Pollarding is a system of pruning trees regularly in which the main stem of a fast-growing tree is cut about 2 meters above ground level to allow healthy development of the branches.The system also involves cutting back of the tree branches to the trunk, to enable it produce newshoots in abundance.

Potential Evapotranspiration: In geographical terms, potential evapotranspiration is the measure ofthe amount of moisture that could be lost from the surface of the earth, caused by evaporation and

transpiration.

Pressure Gradient: As per geographical terminology, pressure gradient can be defined as the rate ofchange of barometric pressure at a particular time in a particular region.

Pressure Melting Point: As per geography terms,pressure melting point is the temperature at which ice,on the application of pressure, will melt. This

temperature is often below 0C.

Primary Consumers: Primary consumers, also known asherbivores, are organisms of the food chain that feed onthe primary producers ( green plants).

Prime Meridian: The prime meridian is the line oflongitude, designated as 0 and used as a reference lineto measure longitude west and east.

P-wave: P-waves, also known as seismic waves, areelastic waves that are capable of traveling through

gases, liquids and solids. These waves are released when an earthquake occurs.

Q

Quarry: A quarry is a type of open-air pit mine from which rocks and minerals can be extracted byblasting, digging or cutting.

Quartz: Quartz is a hard mineral which consists mainly of silica, and can be obtained from different

types of rocks. It is the second most abundant mineral found in the earth's crust.

Quaternary Sector: The part of an economy that focuses on information based activities is known asthe quaternary sector.


30/38

R

Rain: In geographical terminology, rain is defined as the water that falls in drops, formed due to thecondensation of vapor in the atmosphere.

Rain Gauge: A rain gauge is an instrument that is used to measure the amount of liquid precipitationor rainfall.

Rainshadow: An area having very little precipitation due to the blockage of winds by barriers likemountains or hills is known as rainshadow. The very little precipitation in these areas is due to thewinds losing their moisture before they can reach this area.

Raised Beach: A raised beach is a former or ancient beach that is raised slightly above the currentshoreline due to a relative fall in the level of the water.

Ranching: Ranching is the running of an extensive farm, known as a ranch, where cattle or sheepare raised. This activity is carried out in areas that are not suitable for other types of farming.

Ravine: A ravine is a gorge or a deep narrow valley, created by running water.

Reforestation: The process of reviving a forest that was destroyed by planting new trees or bynatural regeneration is known as reforestation.

Recreational Forest: Recreational forests are forests that are specially maintained for activities likebird-watching, camping, horse-riding, etc.

Recycling: The process of extracting useful materials from garbage Megapolis cheatsthat can be put

to use after reprocessing is known as recycling.

Red Tide: Red tide, commonly known as 'algal blooms', is a phenomenon that occurs due toexcessive accumulation of algae, known as dinoflagellates, that causes discoloration of the water.

Regelation: Regelation is the freezing together of two melted ice blocks when pressure applies islessened and the melting point of ice rises.

Relative Humidity: In geographical terms, relative humidity is defined as the amount of water vaporin the air at a particular temperature, compared to the maximum amount of water vapor that the air

can hold at that temperature. It is expressed in a percentage form.

Renewable Resources: Any natural resource that is naturally restorative at a rate that is more thanthe rate of human consumption of that resource is called a renewable resource.

Resurgence: It is defined as the return of a river that was running underground, back to the surface.

Ribbon Lake: Ribbon lakes are long, narrow lakes formed by a glacier, usually found in glacialtroughs.

Richter Scale: An instrument or logarithmic scale used to measure the magnitude of an earthquakeand the energy released by an earthquake. Each increasing step indicates a 10-fold energy increase.

Rift Valley: A long valley formed along a rift in the earth's crust due to the gradual sinking of land


31/38

between two parallel series of faults is called a rift valley.

Roche Moutone: A Roche moutone is a rock hill that is shaped smooth on the side of theupstream and grooved by glacial abrasion.

Rossby Waves: Rossby waves are the movements of troughs and ridges in the upper air or the jetstream surrounding the earth. It is named after Carl-Gustaf Rossby who first came up with thetheory of this jet stream.

Run-off: Run-off is a term used for the water from rain or melting snow that does not get absorbedinto the soil, but flows over the surface of the land.

S

Salinization: Salinization is the process by which salt gets increasingly accumulated in soil, whichdecreases the fertility of the soil.

Salt Lake: A salt lake is a type of inland lake that has a higher concentration of salts, mainly sodiumchloride, as compared to other lakes.

Sandbar: A sandbar, also known as a shoal or a sand bank, is a ridge of sand, partly exposed or

submerged, formed along a shore or river. This ridge is built by the action of tides, currents orwaves and consists of tiny pebbles, sand and silt.

Sand Dune: A sand dune is a hill or mound of sand that is formed by the action of winds along shoresor in desert areas.

Savanna: Savanna is a term used to describe tropical grassland areas having scattered vegetation,comprising dense spaced trees and bushes. The term was originally used to describe tropicalgrasslands with some scattered dense tree areas.

Sea Breeze: A sea breeze is a cooling local wind that blows from the sea to the land, due todifferences in temperature of the surface of the land and the surface of the sea.

Sea-level Change: Sea-level change is a change in the volume of water in the seas and oceans, withrespect to a change in the position of the land. Sea-level change is of two types - eustatic, wherethere is change in the level of water due to the melting of ice and snow, and isostatic, where there isa change in the vertical position of the land caused by the melting of ice and snow in largequantities.

Sea-wave: In geographical terms, waves that indicate a horizontal energy movement but a vertical


32/38

movement of water are known as sea-waves.

Secondary Consumer: Secondary consumers, also known as carnivores, are organisms of the foodchain that mainly feed on primary consumers, and secondary consumers at times.

Sedimentary Rock: Sedimentary rocks are rocks that are formed by the deposition and solidificationof sediments and organic matter from pre-existing rocks in layers. These sediments may bedeposited by running water, wind or ice.

Seed Dispersal: Seed dispersal is a process in which the plant seeds move away from the parentseed through the action of winds, water, insects, etc. The process transports seeds to suitablehabitats, from their source, for their successful germination.

Seismic: Seismic is a term used to define anything that is related to or caused by an earth vibrationor an earthquake.

Shield Volcano: A shield volcano is a rounded, wide volcano having gentle sloes formed due to the

solidification of layers of fluid basaltic lava.

Sial: Sial is a type of rock that is rich in silica and aluminum found in the upper layer of the earth'scrust.

Silt: Sedimentary material comprising tiny particles of rock larger than clay and smaller than sand.

Sima: The layer of the earth's outer crust that is rich in silica and magnesium and that lies below thesial.

Soil Conservation: Soil conservation is a soil management technique used to prevent soil erosion andsoil deterioration.

Soil Profile: A vertical section of soil indicating the different layers of soil from the surface to theparent rock is called soil profile.

Soil Science: It is a scientific field that pertains to the study of soil as natural resource. This includesthe study of soil properties, soil formation and soil classification.

Soil Structure: Soil structure is the manner in which the soil particles like sand, humus, silt and clay

are arranged to form large units known as peds. Prism-like, block-like, spheroidal, and platey are thefour major structural forms of soil.

Solar Radiation: The electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun, resulting from a nuclear fusionreaction, is known as solar radiation.

Spheroidal Weathering: Spheroidal weathering is a process through which chemical weatheringwears out the edges and sides of a rock due to which the rock appears round in shape.

Spring Tide: Spring tide is the term used to describe extremely high and low tides, occurring during

a full moon or a new moon, when the sun, moon and the earth are more or less aligned.

Stemflow: Stemflow is a process by which intercepted precipitation is directed to flow down thebranches and stems of plants, so that the ground below them receives some more moisture.


33/38

Stilling Well: A stilling well is a cube or cylindrical compartment that is installed near a river or sunkin the river. It dampens surges and waves to provide an accurate measurement of the water level ofthe river.

Storm Beach: A storm beach is a steep beach that comprises sand and stones, deposited by strongstorms and waves that rise above the high watermark.

Storm Surge: An unusual rise in the normal water level on an open coast caused by high waves andwinds associated with hurricanes and low atmospheric pressure is called a storm surge.

Strata: In geographical terms, strata can be defined as beds of rocks of a particular kind (usuallysedimentary), comprising many uniform layers, that is formed naturally by materials that getdeposited.

Stratosphere: Stratosphere is the part of the earth's atmosphere that is below the mesosphere andabove the troposphere. It extends from 10km to 50km above the surface of the earth.

Strip Farming: Strip farming is a technique of farming, where field crops are grown in alternate,narrow strips, following the contour of the land. This technique is used to reduce or prevent soilerosion.

Sublimation: Sublimation is a term used to describe the changing of a solid into the gaseous statewithout going through the liquid phase.

Superimposed Drainage: Superimposed drainage is a drainage system that naturally evolved on a setof rocks, which were subsequently immersed by river incision. Therefore, the drainage system isunrelated to the rocks that it now lies on.

Sustainable Agriculture: Sustainable agriculture is a method of farming that implements eco-friendlytechniques of farming to ensure that the natural resources are not degraded. Sustainable agriculturealso supports increased production of crops.

Swamp: As per geography definitions, a type of lowland that is seasonally flooded or waterloggedwith stagnant water and has woody vegetation cover is known as a swamp.

Swash: Swash, in geographical terminology, is a term used to describe water from the break of awave, moving up the shore or beach.

S-wave: A S-wave is defined as a type of seismic wave that carries rock particles in a direction that isperpendicular to the direction in which the wave itself is traveling. The S-wave is also known as thesecondary wave or the shear wave.

Synoptic Chart: The synoptic chart is a type of weather map that indicates the atmospheric state of alarge area at any given time.

T

Talik: Talik is a Russian term used to describe a permanently unfrozen section of ground in a regionof permafrost. There are different types of talik like through talik, closed talik and open talik.

Tectonic: Tectonic is a term used to define anything that is causing, related to, or resulting from


34/38

processes that work to give the earth's crust some sort of shape.

Temperate Deciduous Forest: Temperate deciduous forests are seasonal biomes found in central,western and eastern Europe, eastern Australia, some parts of China and Japan, and eastern North

America. These forests are characterized by moderate temperature and rainfall and deciduous treeslike oak, maple, ash, etc. that lose their leaves annually.

Temperature Inversion: Temperature inversion is a phenomenon in which the temperature increaseswith increasing altitude instead of decreasing with increasing altitude. This is due to factors like seaair being invaded by onshore breeze that is cooler than the sea air or because of the passage of acold front.

Thermosphere: Thermosphere is the outermost surface of the atmosphere, that lies above themesosphere and below the exosphere. It is a region where temperature increases steadily withaltitude.

Tidal Energy: The energy obtained from harnessing tidal motions of water is called tidal energy. The

energy harnessed is used to produce electricity.

Topographical Map: Topographical map is a type of large-scale map that represents both natural andman-made two-dimensional, surface geographical features.

Tornado: A tornado is a violent and destructive windstorm or column of air that extends downwardfrom a cumulonimbus or funnel-shaped cloud. Its speed is about 100 to 300 miles per hour and it isknown to cause a lot of destruction along its path.

Toxic Waste: Poisonous waste material that comprises chemical compounds that can cause injury or

death if inhaled or ingested is called toxic waste.

Trade Winds: Trade winds are the steady winds that blow towards the equator, from the northeast inthe northern hemisphere, and from the southeast in the southern hemisphere.

Transpiration: The process by which moisture leaves the plants through small openings in theleaves, known as stomata, into the atmosphere, is known as transpiration. This process is regulatedby the plant on the basis of its water requirement and the climate and the process also affects thegrowth and wilting of the plant.

Tributary: A tributary is a stream or river that flows into a larger river or a large body of watercalled the main channel.

Tropical Cyclone: A tropical cyclone is a type of violent storm that develops over tropical andsubtropical water bodies, between latitudes 2330' North and 2330' South. It is characterized byheavy, violent rainstorms and cyclonic winds and is known by different names like willy-willy, taifu,etc. in different countries.

Trophic Level: Trophic level is the position in the food chain that is occupied by different organisms.The trophic level indicates the frequency of energy transfer that has taken place through feeding.

Tropical Rainforest: Tropical rainforest is a biome situated in regions if high rainfall and hightemperature, consists of tall evergreen trees that grow close to each other and are known to havethe maximum number of medicinal plants. The trees have columnar trunks that are somewhat


35/38

unbranched and they form a flat crown that spreads frequently. Read more on tropical rainforestbiome.

Troposphere: Troposphere is the atmospheric zone that is the lowest. It is situated between thetropopause and the earth's crust and comprises vertical wind motions and water vapor. It ischaracterized by a decrease in temperature with increasing altitude.

Tsunami: A tsunami is a huge ocean wave that occurs due to an underwater volcanic eruption orunderwater earthquake. It can travel at speeds of 600 km/hr, and can soar up to heights of 30 m.

Tundra: The vast, treeless region located in the Arctic and subarctic regions and characterized byblack mucky soil and frozen subsoils is known as the tundra region. This region extends across

Europe, North America and Greenland.

Twilight Zone: The twilight zone is the lowest level or the point up to which natural light is able topenetrate in the ocean.

Typhoon: Typhoon is a type of tropical cyclone that occurs typically in the Indian ocean and thewestern Pacific ocean.

U

Ubac: The northern side of an Alpine mountain that is shady and characterized by a low snow lineand timberline is known as Ubac.

Urban Climate:The climatic condition of a large metropolitan area, that is considerably differentfrom the climate in the rural areas surrounding it, is called urban climate.

U-shaped Valley: A U-shaped valley is a type of glacial valley, formed due to glacial erosion andcharacterized by steep walls and broad floors.

Utility: In geographical terminology, utility is a term used to describe an industry that provides a

service or commodity that can be used by consumers.

V

Valley Glacier: A valley glacier is a glacier that is enclosed by the walls of a mountain valley andflows down these walls.

Varve: A varve is a sediment bed, made up of a series of sediment layers, that is annually depositedin a still water body near a glacial area.

Vector: In geographical terms, vector is defined as a force that has both direction and magnitude.

Vent: A vent is a pipe like opening in the earth's crust, that directs the flow of volcanic material. Avolcano may have one or more than one vent.


36/38

Visibility: Visibility is the maximum distance up to which a person can see under a particularweather condition, without the assistance of any instrument.

Volcanic Cone: A volcanic cone is a conical hill formed during a volcanic eruption made up of lava,tufa and cinders.

Volcanic Plume: Volcanic plume is a mixture of gas, lava and other particles that is emitted during avolcanic eruption, generated when the magma is fragmented.

Volcano: A volcano is a land form, often a mountain, through which magma, gases and ashes eruptand flow out.

V-shaped Valley: A v-shaped valley is a valley that has a cross-sectional profile and that is formed bythe eroding action of streams.

Vulcanism: Vulcanism, also known as volcanism, is a term used to describe the study of any kind ofvolcanic activity.

W

Wadi: A wadi is the Arabic term for a valley or stream bed in northern Africa and the Middle East. It

remains dry all year round, except during the rainy season.

Warm front: Warm front is referred to the front of a mass of warm air.

Walker Cell: The Walker circulation is also known as the Walker cell. It is a conceptual model of theair flow in the tropics in the troposphere. Parcels of air follow a closed circulation in zonal and

vertical directions, according to this theory.

Water balance: Water balance refers to the ratio between the water assimilated in the body andwater lost from the body.

Waterlogged: Waterlogged is a phenomenon where an object is so filled or flooded with water that itseems to be heavy or unmanageable.

Water Management: Water management is the activity that consists of planning, development,distribution and optimum use of water resources under defined water polices and regulations.

Watershed: The term watershed refers to the ridge or crest line dividing two drainage areas.

Water Table: In geography, the term water table means a planar underground surface beneathwhich, earth materials such as soil or rock are saturated with water. At this level, the ground waterpressure is equal to the atmospheric pressure.

Wave: The term wave can be explained as a disturbance on the surface of a liquid body, such as a


37/38

sea or a lake. This disturbance is ordinarily in the form of a moving ridge or swell.

Wave-cut Notch: A wave-cut notch or platform or shore platform is the narrow flat area that is oftenseen at the base of a sea cliff. It can also be seen along a large lake sh

Documents

Geography Terms - Glossary of Geography Terms and Definitions