Geography Terms +

The very gradual movement of continents: The continental drift is the theory that today's continents were formed by the breakup of prehistoric supercontinents and that they slowly glided to their current positions.

The offshore extension of a continent: The outermost part of a land mass is the continental shelf that is submerged under shallow water, and extends into an open sea or ocean.

A mountain range formed by the convergence of continental plates: Three examples of continental sutures are the Himalayas, the Appalachians, and the Alps.

A nation's or a culture's historic homeland: A core area can relate to a central region of a city that is densely populated, ores especially distinguished by an outstanding historical development

The force that causes winds, or any freely moving object or fluid, to deviate to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere, as a result of the Earth's rotation: After taking her bath, Grace saw that the water spun to the right and she knew that was caused by the Coriolis force which she had learned in school.

The theory that explains the formation of early cultures as the result of groups dividing, migrating, and slowly changing in response to new ideas and environmental stress: One example of cultural divergence exists within the U.S. with the Amish people who have voluntarily chosen to have very little contact with other cultures and lead their own lives including their own customs, clothing, and mode of transportation.

A region where a group's culture prevails: A cultural realm can be explained as a large geographical area where the people share a common cultural background, like the language, the way of life, religion, and traditions.

The rediscovery of a former cultural identity in which members of a culture which has been overwhelmed by another dominant culture strive to regain their former culture: Cultural revivalism entails a deliberate effort to link back to a shared past by paying special attention to heritage, language, and customs, to promote dignity and oneness.

The way of life of a group which is transmitted between generations and includes a shared system of meanings, beliefs, values, and social relations: Culture includes such things as language, religion, clothing, music, laws, and entertainment.

A specific place where a distinctive culture originated: The ancient Mesopotamia civilization is a good example of a culture hearth where language, religion, and techniques of writing developed. These various parts of life spread and influenced other neighboring groups.,

The spiral buildup of mutually reinforcing advantages which occurs in specific geographic settings as a result of the development of external economies and localization economies.

The world of electronic computerized spaces encompassed by the internet and related technologies; such as, the World Wide Web.

A flat, low-lying area formed by sediment deposited by a stream entering a body of standing water.

The spreading of sediment.

A geographical region which has little or no vegetation and which averages less than ten inches of precipitation or rain during the year.