Geography Terms and Definitions

• Sprawl denotes something spread out.
• A refugee is someone forced to leave their country due to war, persecution, or disaster.
• Heritage is an inheritance or birthright.
• Extremism is holding extreme political or religious views.
• A strait is a narrow waterway connecting two larger bodies of water.
• Migration is the movement of people from one place to another.
• A mosque is a Muslim place of worship.
• To interact is to have an effect on another.
• A breakwater is a barrier protecting a coast or harbor from waves.
• A coalition is an alliance of groups/countries with similar goals.
• Totalitarian refers to absolute control by one person/party in government.
• Disregarded means ignored.
• Terrorists are people who use violence for political aims.
• Vocational refers to job skills training.
• Literate means able to read and write.
• A dynasty is a series of rulers from the same family.
• Deities are gods.
• To regulate is to control.
• A floodplain is an area along a river formed by sediment deposits.
• Extent is the degree of spread.
• Diffusion is the spread of a feature/trend from one place to another.
• Adherents are believers or followers.
• A pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place for religious purposes.
• Messiah means Savior.
• Monotheistic means belief in one God.
• Arid means very dry.
• Desertification is fertile land turning into desert.
• Reliable means dependable, trustworthy.
• An alluvial plain is an area of fertile soil deposited by river floodwaters.
• Silt consists of fine particles of soil and rock.
• Irrigation redirects water to land for growing crops.
• Petroleum us unrefined oil.
• A nonrenewable resource is not replaced in a useful time frame.
• Qanats are Persian underground canals for water transport.
• The Agricultural Revolution is when humans first domesticated plants and animals.
• A cultural hearth is a center of civilization from which ideas spread.
• To domesticate is to tame plants or animals.
• Cuneiform is a Sumerian writing system using wedge shapes on clay.
• A city-state is a city forming an independent state with its territory.
• Hieroglyphics are ancient Egyptian writing using pictures.
• Papyrus is a reed used by Egyptians for paper.
• Pharaohs are Egyptian kings.
• Pyramids are stone monuments.
• Tombs are burial places for royalty.
• A sarcophagus is a large stone coffin used in ancient cultures.

Key geography terms defined: sprawl, refugee, heritage, extremism, strait, migration, mosque, interact, breakwater, coalition, totalitarian, disregarded, terrorists, vocational, literate, dynasty, deities, regulate, floodplain. Perfect for geography students.