Geography Terms Quiz

Geography Basics

• Geography is the study of Earth and its people.

Landforms

• Landform: a naturally formed feature of Earth's surface.
• Types of landforms:
  • Island: an area of land surrounded by water.
  • Archipelago: a group of many islands.
  • Peninsula: a body of land connected to a larger landmass, surrounded on three sides by water.
  • Isthmus: a narrow strip of land with water on both sides, usually connecting two larger areas of land.

Continents and Regions

• Continent: one of the seven large landmasses of Earth.
• Subcontinent: a large landmass similar to, but smaller than, a continent.

Climate and Weather

• Climate: the pattern of weather in a certain place over a long period of time.
• Weather-related terms:
  • Arid: very, very dry.
  • Semiarid: having very light rainfall.
  • Monsoon: seasonal wind that creates a wet or dry period, particularly in southeast Asia.
  • Drought: a long period of dryness, little to no rainfall.

Natural Features

• Mountain: a large area of land that is higher than the surrounding land.
• Plateau: a large, flat area of land that is higher than the surrounding land.
• Valley: low land between hills or mountains.
• Plain: a large, flat area low in elevation.
• Cataract: waterfall.
• Delta: the area near a river's mouth where the river leaves behind large amounts of sand and silt.
• Gulf: part of an ocean that extends into land.
• Strait: a narrow waterway connecting two large bodies of water.

Natural Resources

• Natural Resources: materials supplied by nature.
• Examples:
  • Timber: trees/wood useful for building.
  • Silt: fine, fertile soil left behind by a river.