Geography Terms Part 1

Front 1

absolute location

Back 1

exact location of a place on the earth described by the global coordinates

Front 2

basin

Back 2

area of land drained by a given river and its branches; area of land surrounded by lands of higher elevation

Front 3

bay

Back 3

part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally smaller than a gulf

Front 4

canyon

Back 4

deep and narrow valley with steep walls

Front 5

cape

Back 5

point of land that extends into a river, lake, or an ocean

Front 6

channel

Back 6

wide strait or waterway between two landmasses; deep part of a river or other waterway

Front 7

cliff

Back 7

steep, high wall of rock, earth, or ice

Front 8

continent

Back 8

one of the seven large landmasses on the earth

Front 9

cultural feature

Back 9

characteristic that humans have created in a place, such as language, religion, housing, and settlement pattern

Front 10

delta

Back 10

flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried downstream by a river and deposited at its mouth

Front 11

downstream

Back 11

direction in which a river or stream flows from its source to its mouth

Front 12

elevation

Back 12

height of land above sea level

Front 13

Equator

Back 13

imaginary line that runs around the earth halfway between the North and South Poles