Want to know what an aclinic line or natural bridge is? Discover some of the most common terms used in study of geography.
Depending on who you ask, urban sprawl is either the best thing that ever happened to growing families -- or the downfall of civilization and the environment as we know it. Learn about the history and consequences of this American phenomenon. See more »
America, the lands of the Western Hemisphere, including the continents of North America and South America and nearby islands.
See more »Archipelago, a term applying to any sea containing clusters of islands, or to the island groups themselves.
See more »Badlands, an area of severe erosion, marked by deep ravines, sharp ridges, pinnacles, and other landforms carved by running water.
See more »Baedeker, a tourist guidebook prepared by a firm established by the German publisher Karl Baedeker (1801–1859).
See more »Bay, in geography, a part of a sea or lake in the form of an inlet, similar to a gulf but usually smaller.
See more »Bayou, a term used widely in the Gulf Coast states, especially Louisiana, for a swampy area.
See more »Bog, an expanse of wet, spongy ground composed largely of partially decayed or decaying plants.
See more »Canyon, a deep valley with steep sides. A narrow canyon with almost perpendicular sides is known as a gorge.
See more »Coastal Plain, a strip of low-lying land along a seacoast, sloping gently toward the sea.
See more »Continent, the name applied to the largest divisions of land in the world. Although they form one landmass, Europe and Asia (often referred to as Eurasia) are counted as two continents.
See more »County, an administrative division of a country or state. In the United States it is the largest division within a state.
See more »Dalles, or Dells, rapids in a river where the water flows over slab-like rock in a narrow trough or gorge.
See more »Delta, a low-lying landform consisting mainly of mud, silt, sand, and gravel laid down by a river at its mouth.
See more »Divide, a ridge of land so situated that water on one side flows in one direction, while water on the other side drains in the opposite direction.
See more »Dune, or Sand Dune, a hill or ridge of sand deposited by the wind. Dunes form in areas where the wind blows most frequently in one direction at speeds sufficient to move large amounts of sand.
See more »Equator, in geography, an imaginary line circling the earth midway between the North and South poles.
See more »Fen, a type of wetland. The land is covered with shallow water containing slowly decaying plant material, some of which forms peat.
See more »Fjord, or Fiord, a long, narrow and deep inlet of the sea. Fjords indent a mountainous coast and extend far back into the interior.
See more »Geyser, a spring from which hot water and steam erupt periodically. The word is derived from the Icelandic Geysir (“gusher”), the name of a famous geyser in Iceland.
See more »Globe, a round or spherical body, particularly one representing the earth or the heavens.
See more »
