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 part of 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 of the earth are scraped away to get at the mineral surface mining