Geography Chapter 1 Quiz

Study Notes

Geography: The study of Earth's physical features, climate, human populations, and interactions.
Absolute Location: The precise position on Earth, given by latitude and longitude coordinates.
Relative Location: A place's position in relation to another, often described using directions.
Hemispheres: Earth is divided into halves: Northern and Southern (by the equator), and Eastern and Western (by the prime meridian).
Latitude: Lines running horizontally around Earth, parallel to the equator.
Longitude: Lines running vertically from the North to South Pole.
Equator: An imaginary line around Earth's middle, equidistant from the poles.
Prime Meridian: An imaginary line running from the North Pole to the South Pole, often used as a reference point for longitude.

Hydrosphere: Water in all forms (oceans, rivers, lakes, glaciers, groundwater), covering about 71% of Earth's surface.
Lithosphere: Earth's crust and upper mantle, divided into tectonic plates floating on the semi-liquid asthenosphere.
Atmosphere: Layer of gases surrounding Earth, including all living organisms and their interactions.
Biosphere: All life on Earth and its interactions with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
Continental Drift: A theory suggesting Earth's continents were once connected, and have since drifted apart due to tectonic plate movement (proposed by Alfred Wegener).
Earthquake: A sudden shaking of the Earth's surface caused by the release of energy from the movement of tectonic plates.
Richter Scale: Used to measure earthquake magnitude based on seismic wave amplitude.
Tsunami: Series of large ocean waves generated by sudden displacement of water (often by undersea earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or landslides).