Geography Basics
What are the four cardinal directions that geographers use to describe location?
North, South, East, West
What is Earth's natural satellite that orbits it?
The Moon
What do we call a round model of Earth?
Globe
What percentage of Earth's surface is covered by water?
71%
What theme looks at the exact and relative positions of places?
Location
What do we call the study of Earth's human and nonhuman features?
Geography
What is the process of Earth spinning on its axis called?
Rotation
Which tool uses satellites to determine exact locations on Earth?
GPS (Global Positioning System)
What is the outermost layer of Earth called?
The Crust
Which theme involves studying how people and the environment affect each other?
Human-Environment Interaction
What is the name for the imaginary horizontal line that divides the Earth into northern and southern halves?
Equator
What is the term for the path Earth takes around the sun?
Orbit or Rotation
What is GIS used for?
To store and analyze information linked to geographic locations.
What process breaks down rocks into small pieces?
Weathering
What theme focuses on physical and human features of a place?
Place
What is the term for the exact position of a place on Earth using latitude and longitude?
Absolute Location
What causes the seasons to change on Earth?
Earth's tilt on its axis and its orbit around the sun
What is one problem with using flat maps instead of globes?
Distortion
What is the difference between mechanical and chemical weathering?
Mechanical breaks rocks physically; chemical dissolves them with water or acids
What theme involves the movement of people, goods, and ideas?
Movement
What do we call the grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude?
The Global Grid
What are equinoxes and solstices based on?
The position of Earth in relation to the sun and the length of day and night
What is a Mercator projection good for, and what is it bad at?
Good for showing direction and shape, bad at showing size and distance
What is erosion, and how is it different from weathering?
Erosion moves broken rock pieces; weathering breaks them down
What theme groups places that share common characteristics?
Region