West Virginia Studies Chapter 1

1
West Virginia Studies Chapter 1

• Vocabulary

2
the science of studying Earth as the home of
humans

• geography

3
describes where a place is compared to other
places

• relative location

4
identifies a precise position on Earths surface
stated in terms of latitude and longitude

• absolute location

5
the imaginary line that goes around the globe
halfway between the North Pole and South Pole

• equator

6
a measure of the distance north and south of the
equator

• latitude

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an imaginary line running from the North Pole
through Greenwich, England, and partof Africa to
the South Pole

• prime meridian

8
a measure of the distance east or west of the
prime meridian, which is located at Greenwich,
England

• longitude

9
a long narrow strip of a larger territory

• panhandle

10
the average weather of a region over a long
period of time

• climate

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the day to day conditions and changes in the
atmosphere

• weather

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the height of the land above sea level

• elevation

13
rain, snow, hail

• precipitation

14
a long period of little or no rain

• drought

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warmer-than-usual Pacific Ocean surface
temperatures

• El Niño

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colder-than-usual Pacific Ocean surface
temperatures

• La Niña

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physical features of the land such mountains or
plateaus

• topography

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the gradual wearing down of land by wind or water

• erosion

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a stream or river that flows into a larger river

• tributary

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no longer existing, such as an animal

• extinct

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strip mining a method of mining for minerals
close to Earths surface where the top layers
ofthe earth are scraped away to get at the
mineral

• surface mining