Acid Rain :- The name given to rain, snow or sleet contaminated withacid substances so that its acidity is greater than the limit expected bynormal concentrations of carbondioxide dissolved in the rain to give carbonicacid. The increased acidity is caused by larger concentrations of a numberof contaminants, particularly the strong acids, nitric and sulphuric whicharise from industrial effluents containing oxides, nitrogen and sulphur.
Alluvium :- Sedimentary matter deposited by rivers. It makes the soil fertile.
Antipodes :- It is a region or place on the opposite side of the earth.
Aphelion :- The position of the earth or of any other planet or comet inits orbit when it is at its greatest distance from the sun.
Archipelago :- A group of islands, such as Malaysian Archipelago.
Asteroid :- A limp of rock or metal in orbit around the sun.
Atoll :- It is a coral reef of the shape of a horse-shoe or ring with a lagoon in the centre.
Biosphere :- The organic life on earth both animate and inanimate including plants, vegetables, animals, birds and men.
Bore :- A tidal wave which breaks in the estuaries of some rivers and being impelled by the narrowing channel rises in the form of tide, and courses along with great force and noise.
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Chromosphere :- A shell of hot gas about 1600-4800 km thick encircling the visible surface of the sun.
Comet :- A body of gas and dust traveling in an elongated orbit around the sun.
Cape :- The point of termination or a neck of land extending into the sea.
Confluence :- Meeting place of two or more rivers as at Allahabad where the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati meet.
Cosmis Rays :- Atomic particles from spare whim travel close to the speed of light.
Continental Shelf :- Apart of land which is submerged under the sea and whose depth is not more than 600 ft.
Contours :- Lines connecting parts of the same Altitudes above sea level.
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Date line (or International date line) :- It is situated 180. meridian from Greenwich, a ship while crossing the line eastwards goes forward a day, while westward it goes back a day.
Degree :- A unit of angular measure. A circle is divided into 360 degrees, represented by the symbol °. Degrees, when applied to the roughly spherical shape of the Earth for geographic and cartographic purposes, are each divided into 60 minutes, represented by the symbol ′.
Delta :- The fan-shaped area at the mouth, or lower end, of a river, formed by eroded material that has been carried downstream and dropped in quantities larger than can be carried off by tides or currents.
Desert :- A land area so dry that little or no plant life can survive.
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Earthquake :- It is shaking of earth’s crust sometimes accompanied by permanent elevations or depression, but often no lasting effect is visible on the surface, except the damage done by shaking.
Elevation :- The altitude of an object, such as a celestial body, above the horizon; or the raising of a portion of the Earth's crust relative to its surroundings, as in a mountain range.
El Nino :- A phenomenon noticed in the Pacific Ocean near the Chilean Coast. It is now believed that it has a major impact on the onset of monsoon’s in India.
Epicenter :- The point on the Earth's surface directly above the hypocenter, where the energy of an earthquake is first released.
Equator :- An imaginary circle around the Earth halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole; the largest circumference of the Earth.
Erosion :- Forces that shape the Earth's surface. Includes water, wind, and ice.
Estuary :- The wide end of a river when it meets the sea; salty tidal water mixes with the fresh water of the river here.
Equinox :- March 21 and September 23, when days and nights are of equal durations throughout the globe.
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Fault :- A fracture in rock where there has been movement and displacement.
Fjord :- A coastal valley that was sculpted by glacial action.
Floodplain :- A flat, low-lying area near a river or stream that is subject to flooding.
Fog :- When moist air meets cold surface of earth, some of the water ‘ours condense on the particles of dust in air. This cloud of condensed vapour is called fog.
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Geyser :- It is a fountain of hot water issuing from a hole which extends deep into earth’s crust. The chief geysers of the world are found in Iceland, New Zealand and Yellow Stone National Park (USA).
Glacier :- A large body of ice that moves slowly down a mountainside from highlands toward sea level. A vast accumulation of ice and snow, which moves slowly, till it melts and forms a river is caned glacier.
Globe :- A body with the shape of a sphere, especially a representation of the Earth in the form of a hollow ball.
Gulf :- A large arm of an ocean or sea extending into a land mass.
Gulf Stream :- It is a warm ocean current, which flows along the eastern coast of North America and drifts towards the western coast of Europe.
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Hemisphere :- Half of the Earth, usually conceived as resulting from the division of the globe into two equal parts, north and south or east and west.
Hurricane :- A tropical storm that contains winds of at least 74 miles per hour (119km/h). Also known as a cyclone in the northern Indian Ocean and a typhoon in the western Pacific Ocean.
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Iceberg :- A large mass of ice, detached from a glacier and floating in the sea, is called an iceberg.
Ice Shelf :- A thick mass of ice extending from a polar shore. The seaward edge is afloat and sometimes extends hundreds of miles out to sea.
Igloo :- It is the dome-shaped hut of snow in which Eskimos live.
International Date Line :- An imaginary line of longitude generally 180° East or West of the prime meridian. The date becomes one day earlier to the east of the line.
Island :- An area of land, smaller than a continent, completely surrounded by water.
Isthmus :- A narrow strip of land located between two bodies of water, connecting two larger land areas.
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Lagoon :- A shallow area of water separated from the ocean by a sandbank or by a strip of low land (or) A shallow lake formed at the :mouth of a river or near the sea but separated from it by a sand mound.
Lake :- A body of fresh or salt water entirely surrounded by land.
Latitude :- The angular distance north or south of the equator, measured in degrees.
Lava :- Magma that reaches the Earth's surface through a volcanic vent or fissure.
Legend :- A listing that contains symbols and other information about a map.
Longitude :- The angular distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees.
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Magma :- Molten rock that lies beneath the surface of the Earth; once exposed, magma becomes lava.
Map :- A representation, usually on a plane surface, of a region of the Earth.
Map Key :- An explanatory description or legend to features on a map or chart.
Meridian :- A line of longitude.
Meteor :- A particle from space which burns up by friction in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Mesa :- A large, flat-topped but steep-sided landform; they shrink to become buttes.
Midnight Sun :- In the Arctic region, the sun is visible even at midnight in summer. Norway is called the land of midnight sun.
Milky way :- A band of stars, gas and dust across the night sky.
Monsoon :- A wind system in Southeast Asia that changes direction seasonally, creating wet and dry seasons.
Mountain :- A high point of land rising steeply above its surroundings.
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Oasis :- A spot in a desert made fertile by water.
Ocean :- The salt water surrounding the great land masses, and divided by the land masses into several distinct portions, each of which is called an ocean.
Oceans :- 71% of the total area of the earth is covered by water. In the ancient times, these oceans were regarded as great hindrance in the development of relations between different countries. But now these have become great highways for transportation.
Ocean Currents :- These are great circulatory movements of ocean either warm or cold and are caused by (i) permanent winds, i.e., trade and westernly winds; and (ii) by difference in density of sea water.
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Orbit :- The path of the earth or any other planet round the sun is called its orbit.
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Pampas :- Dreary expanse of treeless grassy plains between the Andes and the Atlantic ocean.
Parallel :- A line of latitude.
Photosphere :- The bright surface layer of gases on the sun.
Peak :- The highest point of a mountain.
Peninsula :- A piece of land extending into the sea almost surrounded by water.
Physical Feature :- A land shape formed by nature.
Physical Map :- A map that shows identifiable landmarks such as mountains, rivers, lakes and oceans, and other permanent geologic features.
Plate Tectonics :- The surface of the Earth is composed of many large plates that slowly move around the planet, meeting and diverging, creating a variety of earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains at their margins.
Plain :- A large area of land, either level or gently rolling, usually at low elevation.
Plateau (or Tableland) :- An elevated area of mostly level land, sometimes containing deep canyons.
Political map :- A map that shows such things as national and state boundaries and the names and locations of towns and cities.
Population :- The number of people inhabiting a place.
Prime Meridian :- An imaginary line running from north to south through Greenwich, England, used as the reference point for longitude.
Prairies :- Extensive treeless tracts, covered with tall coarse grass, situated ill Central and North America.
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Rainbow :- It is an arch in the sky, caused by the reflection and refraction of breaking up of the rays of the sun by tiny droplets of rain suspended in air.
Range (or Mountain Range) :- A group or chain of high elevations.
Reef :- A chain of rocks, often coral, lying near the water surface.
Relief Map :- A map that depicts land elevations.
Reservoir :- A man-made lake where water is kept for future use.
River :- A stream, larger than a creek, generally flowing to another stream, a lake, or to the ocean.
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Satellite :- Natural satellites also called :moons are small planets which revolve round the larger ones.
Savannas :- Land covered with natural grass in the tropical region from 5° N and 5°C of equator to 23° N and 30° S.
Scale :- The relationship of the length between two points as shown on a map and the distance between the same two points on the Earth.
Sea :- A relatively large body of salt water completely or partially enclosed by land.
Sea Level :- The ocean surface; the mean level between high and low tides.
Selvas :- The plains covered with thick forests near the river Amazon (Brazil) in South America.
Strait :- A narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water.
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Tides :- Tides are the alternate rise and fall of the sea water. The tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and to a lesser degree of the sun.
Topographic Map :- A detailed, large-scale contour map showing human and physical features.
Topography :- The physical features of a place; or the study and depiction of physical features, including terrain relief.
Tributary :- A stream; flowing into a larger stream.
Valley :- A relatively long, narrow land area lying between two areas of higher elevation, often containing a stream.
Volcano :- A vent in the Earth's crust caused by molten rock coming to the surface and being ejected, sometimes violently. It is large conical hillock having a funnel-shaped opening from which lava comes out. Cotapaxi is a lofty active volcano in South America.
Waterfall :- A sudden drop of a stream from a high level to a much lower level.
Watershed :- The area into which a river and its tributaries drain.
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