Geography Terms Quiz

Study Notes

Geography Terms

Contiguous: Areas sharing a common border.
Tributary: A stream or river flowing into a larger river or lake.
Headwater: The source of a river or stream.
Colony: A region controlled by another country.
Fall Line: A path descending a slope.
Hurricane: A violent storm forming over seas and moving onto land.
Fossil Fuel: Natural fuel formed from coal or gas.
Underground Railroad: A network used to escape enslavement during the Civil War.
Dryland Farming: A farming method conserving soil moisture in drier areas.
Rust Belt: A region with declining industrial activity, often referring to the northeastern and midwestern US.
Sunbelt: An area receiving abundant sunshine.
Megalopolis: A vast urban region.
Jazz: A music genre developed by African Americans in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Service Industry: Businesses providing services to customers.
Foreclosure: The process of taking away property due to unpaid mortgage.
Timberline: The upper limit on a mountain where trees can grow.
Immigrant: An individual living in a country of which they are not a citizen or were not born.
Migrant: A person traveling to another country.
Indigenous: Native to a specific area.
Suburb: A smaller area outside a city or town.
Refugee: A person fleeing war or a natural disaster.
Province: A division of a larger country or region.
Culture: The arts, traditions, and way of life of a specific group.
Convergence: The meeting of air streams or gas currents.
Divergence: The separation of air currents.
Endemic: A disease affecting many people in a community.
Pandemic: A disease spreading over a large area, like an entire country or globally.
Cultural Hearth: The origin or center of a specific culture.
Push Factors: Reasons people may leave a particular area (negative aspects).
Pull Factors: Reasons people may go to a particular place (positive aspects).
Inuit: The indigenous people of northern Canada, Greenland, and parts of Alaska.
Commodities: Raw materials traded in bulk, often related to agriculture.
Diverse: A variety, a wide selection.
Clear-Cutting: The removal of all trees from an area.
Acid Rain: Rain with acidic components, often from pollution.
Smog: Fog formed by pollution.
Ethnicity: A person's subgroup based on cultural heritage.
Aqueduct: A structure carrying water over a distance.
Peninsula: A piece of land surrounded by water on most sides.
Agribusiness: Commercially-operated agriculture using technology.
Colonization: The process of establishing a colony, populating and changing a region.
Norther: A strong, cold wind blowing over Texas, Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Maquiladora: A factory in Mexico exporting goods to other countries.
Metropolitan Area: A region with significant social and economic influence.
Mission: Institutions created by the Spanish from the 16th to 19th centuries.
Asylum: Protection given to a refugee by a nation.
Secede: To withdraw from a union, political or religious organization.
Reservation: Land designated for indigenous people to live on.
Federal Republic: A government form where citizens have control and elect representatives.