Geography: English Vocabulary List

a field of science that studies the structure of the earth and its history

"Geology is about rocks and earth."

"After studying geology for four years, he finally got a job exploring natural resources in remote areas."

an imaginary horizontal circle around the Earth parallel to the equator, used to measure north-south position

"Latitude shows north south."

"The latitude of the city indicated its position in the northern hemisphere, close to the equator."

the distance of a point east or west of the meridian at Greenwich that is measured in degrees

"Longitude shows east west."

"The ship's navigator used lines of longitude to determine its precise position on the globe."

either of the two imaginary lines around the Earth located about 23° north and south of the equator

"The tropic is a line."

"The region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn experiences hot, humid weather."

the line where the sky and earth seem to come in contact with each other

"The horizon looks clear."

"The sun sank below the horizon painting the sky in shades of orange and pink."

a hypothetical line around the Earth that divides it into Northern and Southern hemispheres

"Countries on the equator experience a hot climate."

"The celestial equator is a great circle projected onto the celestial sphere directly above Earth's own geographic equator"

a large body of land that is partially surrounded by water but is attached to a larger area of land

"A peninsula has water."

"The ancient civilization thrived on the fertile land of the peninsula, surrounded by the sea."

land with mountains or hills

"The highland has sheep."

"The Scottish highlands are known for their dramatic landscapes with steep mountains deep valleys and lakes that attract hikers from around the world."

having many hills

"The terrain is hilly."

"The hilly terrain made the bike ride much more difficult than we had expected it to be."

an area of land, particularly in reference to its physical or natural features

"The rocky terrain was difficult to cross."

"Terrain refers to the physical features and surface characteristics of a tract of land"

a deep narrow valley with steep sides, usually worn by a stream

"The hiker fell into a deep ravine."

"The hikers had to carefully navigate the treacherous terrain around the deep ravine to reach their destination safely."

related to or situated along the coast, the area where land meets the sea

"The town is coastal."

"The coastal town relies on fishing and tourism for its economy because the ocean provides jobs and attracts visitors from all over."

a substance from the inner layers of the earth which is erupted out of a volcanic mountain

"Lava flowed slowly."

"The lava cooled into dark rock after the eruption."

a very large floating piece of ice

"The ship struck a hidden iceberg and sank."

"The vast majority of an iceberg's mass remains hidden below the water's surface"

a large mass of ice that forms over long periods of time, especially in polar regions or high mountains

"The glacier slowly moves down the mountain."

"Scientists measured how fast the glacier is melting due to rising global temperatures."

a valley that is deep and has very steep sides, through which a river is flowing usually

"The Grand Canyon is a truly spectacular sight."

"A submarine canyon is a steep-sided valley cut into the seabed of the continental slope"

a ridge of rock or a line of sand near the surface of a body of water

"A reef is underwater."

"Snorkelers marveled at the vibrant coral reef teeming with diverse marine life."

a natural underwater structure formed by coral

"Beautiful coral reef exists."

"We saw a beautiful coral reef full of colorful fish during our diving trip last summer vacation in the sea."

an area containing still water that is comparatively smaller than a lake, particularly one that is made artificially

"A pond is very small water."

"A small retention pond was built behind the shopping centre to manage rainwater runoff."

related to the sea and the different life forms that exist there

"Fish are marine."

"Marine biologists study the creatures that live in the ocean such as whales dolphins sharks and colorful coral reefs."

one of the two halves of the Earth, separated by the equator or a meridian

"The map showed a hemisphere."

"The Southern Hemisphere experiences its summer months when the Northern Hemisphere is in winter."

the distance between an object or point and sea level

"The plane flew at high altitude."

"Altitude is the vertical height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level"

relating to or characteristic of any continent

"A continental breakfast."

"The hotel offered a delicious continental breakfast with fresh pastries and coffee."

associated with or characteristic of the tropics, regions of the Earth near the equator known for their warm climate and lush vegetation

"The weather is tropical."

"The lush vegetation and high humidity are characteristic of the tropical climate found near the equator."

located away from the coast

"The farm is inland."

"The inland city is far from the sea and the climate is much hotter in summer and colder in winter than coastal areas."

a raised landform, hill, or incline

"The hill has a slope."

"The gentle slope of the meadow made it an ideal location for a leisurely picnic."

the most northern or most southern points of the earth that are joined by its axis of rotation

"The north pole is cold."

"Scientists are studying the effects of climate change on the fragile ecosystems at the Earth's geographic pole."

a smaller part of a river that is separated from the main and larger part

"The boat went down a branch."

"The kayaker decided to explore the narrow branch of the river, hoping for a quieter journey."

the flow or movement of water or a liquid in a specific direction

"The water current is strong."

"Navigating the treacherous waters required careful attention to the powerful ocean current."

the rise and fall of the sea level, which happens regularly, as a result of the attraction of the sun and moon

"The tide is high."

"The tide came in quickly and covered the rocks."

an area of sea that is partly surrounded by land, with a narrow opening

"The Gulf of Mexico is a large body of water."

"The Persian Gulf is a large body of water connected to the Arabian Sea by the Strait of Hormuz."

the round top of a volcano

"The volcano had a crater."

"A crater is a bowl-shaped depression on a planetary surface"

related to the sea and the different life forms that exist there

"The animal is marine."

"The marine ecosystem is threatened by plastic pollution and many sea animals mistake trash for food."

the pointed top of a mountain

"We saw the mountain peak."

"Climbers ascended the treacherous northern face to reach the snow-capped peak."