Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60intermittent stream*: a seasonal stream that only flows for part of the year isopleth map: a map using lines joining points of equal value to show variations in that value (e.g., contour lines showing areas with the same elevation or isobars on a weather map connecting points having the same atmospheric conditions) L land use: the range of uses of the Earth’s surface made by humans. Uses are classified as urban, rural, agricultural, forested, etc., with more specific subclassifications useful for specific purposes (e.g., low-density residential, light industrial, nursery crops) landform: the shape, form, or nature of a specific physical feature of the Earth’s surface (e.g., plain, hill, plateau, mountain) latitude: assuming that the Earth is a sphere, the angular distance in degrees measured north and south from the equator legend: an explanatory description or key to features on a map or chart location: the position of a point on the Earth’s surface expressed by means of a grid (absolute) or in relation (relative) to the position of other places longitude: the position of a point on the Earth’s surface expressed as its angular distance, east or west, from the prime meridian to 180° M map: a graphic representation of a portion of the Earth that is usually drawn to scale on a flat surface metamorphic rock*: rock that has changed from its original form under the influence of heat and pressure, while having never completely returned to a liquid state migration: the act or process of people moving from one place to another with the intent of staying at the destination permanently or for a long period of time mountains: high elevation landform features composed mostly of steep slopes and large amounts of local relief within a specified area (e.g., the Alps of Europe) N natural hazard: an event in the physical environment, such as a hurricane or earthquake, that is destructive to human life and property nonrenewable resource: a finite resource that cannot be replaced once it is used (e.g., petroleum, minerals) O orographic: the study of the physical geography of mountains and mountain ranges P perennial stream*: a stream or river (channel) that has continuous flow in parts of its stream bed all year round during years of normal rainfall physical feature: an aspect of a place or area that derives from the Earth’s processes and the natural environment physiography: the study of the Earth’s surface and its physical features, including relationships between air, land, and water places: locations having distinctive characteristics that give them meaning and character and distinguish them from other locations plains: landform features characterized by a maximum of gentle slopes and minimum local relief within a specified area (e.g., the pampas of Argentina) population density: the number of individuals occupying an area derived from dividing the number of people by the area they occupy (e.g., 2,000 people divided by ten square miles = 200 people per square mile) population pyramid: a bar graph showing the distribution of an area’s population by gender and age Glossary of geographic terms 51