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