7th Grade Geography

7th Grade Geography

Archipelago

• a group of islands

• Example: Indonesia, Hawaii

Ocean

•  a huge body of saltwater that covers about 71 percent of the Earth's surface

• Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, Southern

Glacier

• a slowly moving mass or river of ice formed by the accumulation and compaction of snow on mountains or near the poles.

• alpine glaciers and ice sheets

Desert

• A place that receives less than 10 inches of rain per year

• Sahara, Mojave, Gobi

Lake

• a large body of water surrounded by land

• Lake Ontario

Tributary

• a river or stream flowing into a larger river or lake

• Black Creek, Genesee River

Isthmus

• a narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger areas of land

• Lyme, NY

Peninsula

• a piece of land surrounded by three sides

• Korean Peninsula

Iceberg

•  a large piece of freshwater ice that has broken off a glacier or an ice shelf and is floating freely in open wat

Tundra

•  treeless area in the Arctic and on the tops of mountains, where the climate is cold and windy, and not much rain

• Arctic tundra, alpine tundra, and antarctic tundra.

Plateau

• an area of relatively level high ground

• Colorado Plateau

Mountain range

•  a group or chain of mountains that are close together

• Adirondack Mountains

Strait

• a narrow passage of water connecting two seas or two large areas of water

Plain

• a large area of flat land with few trees

• The Great Plains

Gulf

• a deep inlet of the sea almost surrounded by land, with a narrow mouth

• Gulf of Mexico

Valley

• a low area of land between hills or mountains

• Genesee Valley

River

•  a natural stream of water larger than a creek and emptying into an ocean, a lake, or another river

• Genesee River