|
VOCABULARY LISTS > TEST PREP

Geography, Grades 1-5 187 words

January 15, 2010 By Vocabulary Lists (New York, NY) Vocabulary.com Moderator
Vocabulary list related to geography for students in grades 1-5.

MORE ON THIS LIST:

0% Mastered %
Learn Bookmark Print Create New List Post a Comment
REVIEW LEARN THIS LIST COMMENTS
Definitions Notes & Examples Words Only
  1. Africa
    the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean
  2. agriculture
    the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock
  3. airport
    an airfield equipped with control tower and hangars as well as accommodations for passengers and cargo
  4. Alaska
    a state in northwestern North America; the 49th state admitted to the union
  5. America
    North America and South America and Central America
  6. Antarctic Circle
    a line of latitude north of the south pole
  7. Appalachian Mountains
    a mountain range in the eastern United States extending from Quebec to the Gulf of Mexico; a historic barrier to early westward expansion of the United States
  8. area
    the extent of a 2-dimensional surface enclosed within a boundary
  9. Arizona
    a state in southwestern United States; site of the Grand Canyon
  10. Asia
    the largest continent with 60% of the earth's population; it is joined to Europe on the west to form Eurasia; it is the site of some of the world's earliest civilizations
  11. atmosphere
    the envelope of gases surrounding any celestial body
  12. barrier
    a structure or object that impedes free movement
  13. body of water
    the part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean)
  14. boundary
    the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something
  15. California
    a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
  16. Canada
    a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada
  17. capital
    one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis
  18. chart
    a visual display of information
  19. city
    a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
  20. city center
    the central part of a city
  21. climate
    the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time
  22. climate change
    a change in the world's climate
  23. coast
    the shore of a sea or ocean
  24. community
    a group of people living in a particular local area
  25. construction
    the act of constructing something
  26. continent
    one of the large landmasses of the earth
  27. country
    the territory occupied by a nation
  28. county
    (United States) the largest administrative district within a state
  29. creek
    a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
  30. crop
    a cultivated plant that is grown commercially on a large scale
  31. crop failure
    the failure of crops to produce a marketable surplus
  32. culture
    all the knowledge and values shared by a society
  33. custom
    accepted or habitual practice
  34. dam
    a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
  35. desert
    leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
  36. direction
    a line leading to a place or point
  37. discovery
    the act of discovering something
  38. distance
    the property created by the space between two objects or points
  39. Dominican Republic
    a republic in the West Indies; located on the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola
  40. downtown
    the central area or commercial center of a town or city
  41. downwind
    towards the side away from the wind
  42. drought
    a shortage of rainfall
  43. earthquake
    shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity
  44. East Coast
    the eastern seaboard of the United States (especially the strip between Boston and Washington D.C.)
  45. elevation
    distance of something above a reference point (such as sea level)
  46. England
    a division of the United Kingdom
  47. environment
    the totality of surrounding conditions
  48. equator
    an imaginary line around the Earth forming the great circle that is equidistant from the north and south poles
  49. erosion
    (geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
  50. Europe
    the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use `Europe' to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
  51. expansion
    the act of increasing (something) in size or volume or quantity or scope
  52. exploration
    to travel for the purpose of discovery
  53. famine
    a severe shortage of food (as through crop failure) resulting in violent hunger and starvation and death
  54. farming
    the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock
  55. farmland
    a rural area where farming is practiced
  56. flash flood
    a sudden local flood of great volume and short duration
  57. flood
    the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land
  58. food chain
    (ecology) a community of organisms where each member is eaten in turn by another member
  59. food web
    (ecology) a community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains
  60. forest
    the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
  61. forest fire
    an uncontrolled fire in a wooded area
  62. forestry
    the science of planting and caring for forests and the management of growing timber
  63. fossil fuel
    fuel consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earth's crust with high carbon and hydrogen content
  64. France
    a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
  65. fuel
    a substance that can be consumed to produce energy
  66. ghost town
    a deserted settlement (especially in western United States)
  67. globe
    an object with a spherical shape
  68. graph
    a visual representation of the relations between certain quantities plotted with reference to a set of axes
  69. grassland
    land where grass or grasslike vegetation grows and is the dominant form of plant life
  70. harbor
    a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo
  71. highway
    a major road for any form of motor transport
  72. hill
    a local and well-defined elevation of the land
  73. home
    where you live at a particular time
  74. hospital
    a medical institution where sick or injured people are given medical or surgical care
  75. hotel
    a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
  76. housing
    structures collectively in which people are housed
  77. Indian Ocean
    the 3rd largest ocean; bounded by Africa on the west, Asia on the north, Australia on the east and merging with the Antarctic Ocean to the south
  78. International Date Line
    an imaginary line on the surface of the earth following (approximately) the 180th meridian
  79. irrigation
    supplying dry land with water by means of ditches etc
  80. Japan
    a constitutional monarchy occupying the Japanese Archipelago; a world leader in electronics and automobile manufacture and ship building
  81. kilometer
    a metric unit of length equal to 1000 meters (or 0.621371 miles)
  82. lake
    a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
  83. land
    the solid part of the earth's surface
  84. landmark
    the position of a prominent or well-known object in a particular landscape
  85. landscape
    an expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view
  86. latitude
    an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator
  87. legend
    a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events
  88. life cycle
    a series of stages through which an organism passes between recurrences of a primary stage
  89. life expectancy
    an expected time to live as calculated on the basis of statistical probabilities
  90. lifestyle
    a manner of living that reflects the person's values and attitudes
  91. location
    the act of putting something in a certain place
  92. logging
    the work of cutting down trees for timber
  93. longitude
    the angular distance between a point on any meridian and the prime meridian at Greenwich
  94. Louisiana
    a state in southern United States on the Gulf of Mexico; one of the Confederate states during the American Civil War
  95. manufacturing plant
    a plant consisting of one or more buildings with facilities for manufacturing
  96. map projection
    a projection of the globe onto a flat map using a grid of lines of latitude and longitude
  97. marketplace
    an area in a town where a public mercantile establishment is set up
  98. Mexico
    a republic in southern North America; became independent from Spain in 1810
  99. mile
    a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
  100. mining
    the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth
  101. Mississippi River
    a major North American river and the chief river of the United States; rises in northern Minnesota and flows southward into the Gulf of Mexico
  102. monsoon
    a seasonal wind in southern Asia; blows from the southwest (bringing rain) in summer and from the northeast in winter
  103. mountain
    a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
  104. mountain pass
    the location in a range of mountains of a geological formation that is lower than the surrounding peaks
  105. mountain range
    a series of hills or mountains
  106. nation
    a politically organized body of people under a single government
  107. national capital
    the capital city of a nation
  108. neighborhood
    an area within a city or town that has some distinctive features (especially one forming a community)
  109. New Jersey
    a Mid-Atlantic state on the Atlantic; one of the original 13 colonies
  110. North America
    a continent (the third largest) in the western hemisphere connected to South America by the Isthmus of Panama
  111. North Pole
    the northernmost point of the Earth's axis
  112. ocean
    a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
  113. ocean current
    the steady flow of surface ocean water in a prevailing direction
  114. parallel
    being everywhere equidistant and not intersecting
  115. park
    a piece of open land for recreational use in an urban area
  116. Pennsylvania
    a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
  117. pipeline
    a pipe used to transport liquids or gases
  118. place
    a point located with respect to surface features of some region
  119. place of origin
    where something originated or was nurtured in its early existence
  120. plain
    not elaborate or elaborated; simple
  121. plantation
    an estate where cash crops are grown on a large scale (especially in tropical areas)
  122. plateau
    a relatively flat highland
  123. plot
    a small area of ground covered by specific vegetation
  124. pollution
    undesirable state of the natural environment being contaminated with harmful substances as a consequence of human activities
  125. population
    the people who inhabit a territory or state
  126. port
    a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
  127. position
    the particular portion of space occupied by something
  128. precinct
    a district of a city or town marked out for administrative purposes
  129. precipitation
    the falling to earth of any form of water (rain or snow or hail or sleet or mist)
  130. preservation
    the activity of protecting something from loss or danger
  131. projection
    the act of expelling or projecting or ejecting
  132. province
    the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
  133. railroad
    a line of track providing a runway for wheels
  134. rain forest
    a forest with heavy annual rainfall
  135. rainfall
    water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
  136. recycling
    the act of processing used or abandoned materials for use in creating new products
  137. region
    the extended spatial location of something
  138. reusable
    capable of being used again
  139. river
    a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
  140. Riyadh
    joint capital (with Mecca) of Saudi Arabia located in the central oasis; largest city in Saudi Arabia
  141. road
    an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
  142. Ruhr
    a tributary of the Rhine
  143. Russia
    a federation in northeastern Europe and northern Asia; formerly Soviet Russia; since 1991 an independent state
  144. scale
    an ordered reference standard
  145. section
    one of several parts or pieces that fit with others to constitute a whole object
  146. settlement
    the act of colonizing; the establishment of colonies
  147. shelter
    protective covering that provides protection from the weather
  148. shopping center
    mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace
  149. site
    the piece of land on which something is located (or is to be located)
  150. situation
    physical position in relation to the surroundings
  151. smog
    air pollution by a mixture of smoke and fog
  152. society
    an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
  153. soil
    material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use)
  154. soil conservation
    protection of soil against erosion or deterioration
  155. solar energy
    energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy
  156. South
    the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
  157. South America
    a continent in the western hemisphere connected to North America by the Isthmus of Panama
  158. South Pole
    the southernmost point of the Earth's axis
  159. Spain
    a parliamentary monarchy in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula; a former colonial power
  160. sports stadium
    a large structure for open-air sports or entertainments
  161. state
    the way something is with respect to its main attributes
  162. storage
    the act of storing something
  163. stream
    a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
  164. suburban area
    a residential district located on the outskirts of a city
  165. territory
    a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
  166. Texas
    the second largest state; located in southwestern United States on the Gulf of Mexico
  167. timber
    the wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material
  168. time zone
    any of the 24 regions of the globe (loosely divided by longitude) throughout which the same standard time is used
  169. tornado
    a localized and violently destructive windstorm occurring over land characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground
  170. town
    an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
  171. township
    an administrative division of a county
  172. trade route
    a route followed by traders (usually in caravans)
  173. trade wind
    steady winds blowing from east to west above and below the equator
  174. transportation
    the act of moving something from one location to another
  175. transportation system
    a facility consisting of the means and equipment necessary for the movement of passengers or goods
  176. United States
    North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
  177. urban area
    a geographical area constituting a city or town
  178. vegetation
    the process of growth in plants
  179. village
    a settlement smaller than a town
  180. volcano
    a fissure in the earth's crust (or in the surface of some other planet) through which molten lava and gases erupt
  181. volume
    the property of something that is great in magnitude
  182. waterway
    a navigable body of water
  183. weather
    the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
  184. West Coast
    the western seaboard of the United States from Washington to southern California
  185. wetland
    a low area where the land is saturated with water
  186. wildlife
    all living things (except people) that are undomesticated
  187. windward
    the direction from which the wind is coming