Physical Geography Terms and Definitions
If you have ever or are currently taking a science class, then you will more than likely be tasked with compiling a list of physical geography terms and definitions. More often than not you will come across a few physical geography terms and definitions that you may not understand. This is why it can become crucial for you to review either your assigned readings on the physical geography terms and definitions or simply go on the Internet and find a few user friendly websites that cater to the subject matter. Whatever your individual situation may be, if you continue reading you may find that the information provided is exceedingly helpful.
There are many terms and definitions relative to physical geography, some of which are referenced by everyday people on a daily basis. When you are discussing physical geography, you can be referencing any number of terms, from topics on glaciers, rivers and oceans to issues relative to the surface of the earth, climate and even natural disasters. If it is physical and earth-related then you can pretty much bet on it being a hot topic of discussion in the world of physical geography.
Let’s say that you were tasked with the challenge of sifting through any terms and definitions relative to the physical geographical topic of the earth’s climate. In a sense, you would be providing information on the overall overview of the climate of the earth. This would undoubtedly include just about everything weather related as well as the geographical norms of the temperature of particular regions on the earth. This is but one example of gathering physical geography terms and definitions.
Sample Physical Geography Terms and Definitions
As stated before, when you are referring to physical geography, you are covering any and all subjects relating the earth’s surface. So if you start with the most basic of all of those topics, you would more that likely opt for a generalized topic such as the oceans. Let’s start there with the sample terms and definitions.
When you are discussing the broad term of oceans, you can not help but to break it down according to the seas that run into these oceans. Historically, they have been referred to as the seven seas, yet these seas run into the world’s five primary oceans:
- Atlantic
- Pacific
- Indian
- Artic
- Southern (formerly Antartic)
The seven seas that flow into the oceans are the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea, the Black Sea, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.
So when you are defining the oceans of the world you would first discuss how just under 71% of the world’s surface is covered in water. Then you might consider mentioning how the largest of all of the oceans is the Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world’s oceans. Then you could go into a generic definition of the word “ocean” as being a large sea of salt water that covers one of the earth’s five main regions. Let’s move on to another term that you could define.
If you were interested in defining a term relative to the topic of disasters, then you would need to decide which term or subtopic is most appealing to you. A popular disaster that seems like progress in both understanding and alleviating it is slim, would be that of drought. Some places on the earth are only afflicted by a seasonal drought whereas others are affected by a year round drought. In this sense you would need to define the word “drought” as being a certain period whereby a particular place is limited in its supply of water. Often times, these places are completely without water. At this point you will want to give examples and/or illustrations of what is meant by the word drought.