Vocabulary Review for the Virginia SOL Test in
World Geography
Name:
Term
Dams
Floods
Volcano
Erosion
Reservoir
Desertification
Windward
Leeward
Doldrums
Pull Factor
Push Factor
Natural Resources
Per Capita Income
Archipelago
Subsistence Farming
Landlocked
Hydroelectric Power
Ghost towns
Mental Map
Equator
North Pole
Relative Location
Definition
Built to prevent flooding of rivers and create hydroelectric power
More water than the earth can absorb
A vent through which magma erupts
The wearing away of the Earth's surface
A place where humans collect water for future use
Grasslands disappear and the land becomes arid (desert)
The side of the mountain that receives the wind and has
precipitation
The side of the mountain opposite of the wind and has an arid
or semi-arid climate
Area around the equator that experiences no wind activity
A condition that attracts a person to a new country or region
resulting in migration to that new location
A condition that forces a person to leave his or her home
country and settle in a new country
The earth's resources that can be replenished naturally
Average income per person per year
An island chain
Farming just enough for your family
A country that is completely surrounded by land
Energy that is created by water
Mining towns that have been deserted due to resource
depletion
A map in a person's mind using objective knowledge and
subjective perceptions
0 degrees latitude
90 degrees north
Location in relation to other geographic features
1
Absolute location
(map) Scale
Robinson Map
Distortion
Satellite images
Cartographer
Arable
English
Fossil fuels
Rainforests
Mosque
Synagogue, or temple
Francophone
Entrepreneur
Primary economic activity
level
Red Cross/Red Crescent
Continental divide
Monotheism
Smog
Oasis
Ring of Fire
Lowlands
Mental map
Temperature
Easterlies
Earthquakes
Acid rain
A locations latitude and longitude
shows measurement on a map
general purpose map, used for data representation
The concept that all maps are inaccurate in terms of shape,
size, area, and distance
accurate pictures of the world
a person who makes maps
fertile soil in which crops can be grown
a world language
oil, coal, natural gas
areas of lush vegetation located in the tropical rainforest climate
zones
religious building of Muslims (non-specific)
religious building for Jews (non-specific)
the French-speaking world
a person who creates his or her own business
the first step in the economic cycle; deals directly with gathering
or collecting natural resources
international organization that cares for the sick and wounded
or helps disaster victims
a point at which fallen precipitation seeps into rivers that flow
toward opposite sides of the continent
believing in one God
a haze of smoke and fog that often hangs over heavily polluted
cities
water and vegetation located in the desert
area in the Pacific that has many volcanoes and has the
possibility of experiencing earthquakes
regions of the world that are at or below sea level
A map created from one's memory.
How hot or cold it is at a given time
Prevailing winds that blow from the east toward the west
Tectonic plates meet and pressure builds causing the earth to
shake
Pollution mixed with air moisture
2
General purpose maps
Tropic of Cancer
Desert (Arid)
Natural
resources
Skilled labor
Secondary economic
activity level
Precipitation
Lines of latitude
Compass rose
Canal
International
date line
Mercator map
Thematic map
Tropical wet
Comparative advantage
Boundaries/
borders
Irrigation
Climate
Igloos
Polar projections
Laws of the Sea
Nationalism
Physical map
South Pole
Political or physical maps
23 1/2 degrees north
Area that receives between 0 and 10 inches of rain a year
Any type of resource that occurs naturally on earth (coal, trees,
copper, oil)
Training is required to acquire a skill; higher wages; seen in
developed countries
The second step in the economic process; manufacturing and
processing
Rain, Snow, Sleet, Hail
Imaginary lines that measure degrees north and degrees south;
also called parallels
Directional indicator on a map; shows a map's orientation
A manmade waterway that connects two bodies of water;
usually created for trade or transportation
The place on earth that time changes one day; 180 degrees
longitude
Map projection that shows true direction; often used with ship
navigation
A map of a particular theme (population, climate, resources)
Rainforest climate; warm year round; found at and near the
equator
The advantage of one country to more efficiently produce a
good or service compared to another country
Dark black lines on a map that divide the country’s territory
Diverting water to a field for agriculture
The weather conditions over a period of time
Homes built by the Inuits from ice
Map projection that shows either the North or South Pole;
Usually used by pilots
United Nations treaty in which the resources of the oceans are
regulated
Strong feelings of pride for ones nation
A map that shows mountains, rivers, lakes, etc.
Found at 90 degrees south
3
Violent rotating columns of wind; found mostly in the US
(Tornado Alley)
Tradewinds
Winds that blow toward the equator
Westerlies
Winds that blow from the west toward the east
Arctic Circle
Found at 66 1/2 degrees north
Deforestation
When humans cut down trees
Greenwich, England
Home of the Prime Meridian (0 degrees longitude)
Imaginary lines that measure degrees east and west; also
Lines of longitude
known as meridians
An area where the river fans out and empties into a larger body
Delta
of water
Oral traditions
Passing down stories by word of mouth
The amount of goods and services produced in a country in one
GDP (gross domestic
product)
year
A dry streambed that can fill up with water when there is a large
Wadis
amount of precipitation
Antarctic Circle
66 1/2 degrees south
Political map
A map that shows national boundaries;
Subarctic
Cold winters; cool summers; permafrost; taiga
Limited technology; poorly trained workers; high population; low
Developing countries
GDP; low per capita income; few natural resources; low life
expectancy; subsistence agriculture
A country rules over another country or region; European
Imperialism
countries over African countries in the late 1800s
Latin America
Spanish speaking countries make up most of this continent
Bazaars, suqs
Outdoor markets
Medical, teaching, insurance Service industry (give an example…)
Site
The actual location of a city
Literacy rate
The percentage of people that can read and write
NATO
A military alliance that supports democracy , created after WWII
Archipelago
A group, or chain, of islands
Situation
Another name for relative location
Tropic of Capricorn
23 1/2 degrees south
Chinatown
A major city may have an area where mostly Asians live
Managerial skills
The ability to manage others
Tornadoes
4
Use your atlas folders to help identify the following terms:
North America
Erie Canal
Richmond, VA
Multinational
Rio Grande
Sun Belt
Great Plains
Rust Belt
English/French
Manmade waterway that connects Lake Erie with the Hudson
River
The seat of Virginia's state government; fall line site
A company that is located throughout the world; example Coca-Cola
River that forms a boundary between the United States and
Mexico
the southern region of the United States that is the fastest
growing region of the US
area of grasslands found in the central area of North America
area south of the Great Lakes
the languages of Canada
Omaha, Nebraska
Sacramento, CA
cities that grew up along the Transcontinental Railroad
Lincoln Memorial,
Washington Monument
architectural structure located in Washington DC
Exxon Valdez
Aleutian Islands
Wheat Belt
Hurricane
an oil spill off the coast of Alaska in 1989
island chain off the coast of Alaska
Area in the Great Plains where large amounts of wheat are
grown
A major tropical storm originating in the Atlantic Ocean
Colorado River
Helped carve out the Grand Canyon
Quebec
St. Lawrence River
English and French
Building located in Richmond, Virginia
A division in the Piedmont and Coastal Plains regions of
Virginia; Richmond
The center of the world's financial markets; located in New York
City
A political organization created in 1945 and is made up of over
190 countries; works for international peace
Canadian province that speaks French
Narrows at Quebec City, Quebec
Peace Corps
Created by the US in 1961 to help developing countries and promote peace
VA Capitol Bldg.
Fall Line
NYSE (New York Stock
Exchange)
United Nations
(New York)
Quebec
5
Latin America
Atacama
Portuguese
Rio de Janeiro
Amazon Rainforest
Hacienda
Shantytowns
Tikal
Machu Picchu
Mexico City
Sierra Madres
Gauchos
Tierra Caliente
Tierra templada
Copper
Llanos, Pampas
Panama Canal
Desert located on the coast of Chile
The official language of Brazil
the former capital city of Brazil before it was moved to Brasilia
the largest rainforest in the world
a large farm in Latin America
squatter settlements outside of a major city
ancient Mayan ruins
ancient Incan city found high in the Andes Mountains
Capital city of Mexico; suffers from major air pollution
Mountain range located in Mexico
Latin American “cowboys”
In vertical zonation, it is the lowest elevation zone
Middle zone in vertical zonation that experiences a mild climate
Chile has an abundance of this mineral
Grassland areas found in South America
Man-made, connects the Atlantic to the Pacific
Europe
European Union
Madrid
Venice
Berlin
London
Chunnel
Thames River
Fjords
Switzerland
Economic alliance founded after World War II to reduce trade
barriers in Europe
The capital of Spain
City in Italy that contains many canals and is facing water
pollution
The capital of Germany
The capital of England
A tunnel that goes beneath the English Channel and connects
Great Britain with France
river where London, England is located
long, narrow steep-sided inlets carved out by glaciers during
the last Ice Age
country that has limited natural resources but has a huge
banking industry
6
Big Ben, Westminster Abbey architectural structure(landmarks) in Europe (name one or two)
Industrial Revolution
Chalets
Greenland
movement born in London in the 1700's
A-framed houses often found in Switzerland
The world's largest island
Eiffel Tower ; Notre Dame;
Structure located in Paris, France
Arc de Triomphe; Louvre
Po River Valley
Ruhr Valley
Area of coal and iron deposits in Italy
Capital of Poland
Multiple languages spoken in this “melting pot” country
An organization of 53 nations including the UK and some
former British colonies that are now independent
Forest area located in Germany that is dying as a result of acid
rain pollution
Capital of Italy; originally built on a hill
Climate region that borders the Mediterranean Sea;
experiences hot, dry summers; date and olive trees
Conflict between the Protestants and the Catholics
Command of Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits; land bridge to
Europe
Conflict between the Turks and the Greeks
Low-lying areas that humans reclaim from the sea; Netherlands
An area of coal and iron deposits in southwestern Germany
chaparral
Date and olive trees – type of vegetation (add)
Russia and the Republics
(Central Asia)
Huge landmass that contains Europe and Asia
Mountains that separate Europe from Asia
Sea that is shrinking because of irrigation
river that flows north into the Arctic Ocean
the main type of crop in Central Asia, in the Fertile Triangle
Russian pots used to make tea
An area west of the Ural Mountains; farming and industrial area
Nesting dolls found in Russia
Russian word for coniferous forest
Site of a nuclear explosion in the former Soviet Union
Warsaw
Switzerland
Commonwealth of Nations
Black Forest
Rome
Mediterranean
Northern Ireland
Istanbul, Turkey
Cyprus
Polders
Eurasia
Urals
Aral Sea
Ob River
Cotton
Samovars
Fertile triangle
Matrioshka
Taiga
Chernobyl
7
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Israel v. Syria
City located on the Silk Road
(Southwest Asia and North Africa)
Dam located on the Nile River that helps control seasonal
flooding
City located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
the dominant religion of the Middle East
Jews, Christians, and Muslims claim this city as a heritage site
area in the Middle East that is home to the Kurds, who would
like to have their own country
the main ethnic group of the Middle East
the most precious resource of the Middle East
A region that is also called Southwest Asia
An economic alliance created in 1960 to control the production
and sale of oil
Conflict dating back to 1967 when Israel took Golan Heights
Mesopotamia; Fertile
Crescent
Located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Middle East
Aswan High Dam
Baghdad
Islam
Jerusalem
Kurdistan
Arab
Water
Middle East
OPEC
Arabian Gulf
Manmade waterway that connects the Mediterranean Sea with
the Red Sea
Sometimes called the Persian Gulf
Khartoum, Sudan
(confluence)
Site where the Blue and White Niles meet
League of Arab Nations
A political organization created after WWII in the Middle East
Suez Canal
Sub-Saharan Africa
Cote d’Ivoire
Cape Town, South Africa
Timbuktu, Mali
Sahara
Cataracts
Rwanda
This country has limited natural resources so it uses its cash
crops to exchange for manufactured goods
Important location that served as a supply station before the
Suez Canal was built
city that grew up on the Trans-Saharan trade route
Large desert found in north Africa; it is growing because of
desertification
Large waterfalls located in Africa
Location of conflict between the Tutsis and Hutus
8
Nature preserves (safari..)
Most of these in Africa are found in the tropical wet and dry
climate region
Escarpments
A political organization created in 2002 to promote economic
development, human rights, and democracy in Africa
The site of a civil war between the Islamic government and
rebels
Huge cliffs
Asia
(South, Southeast and East Asia)
Hinduism
The main religion of India
The major crop of Asia
land conflict between Pakistan and India
famous tomb located in India
another name for the Yellow River
Strong winds that bring heavy rain to South and Southeast Asia
in the summer
Nomadic people in Mongolia live in these tent-like structures
War that divided Korea into two parts, North Korea and South
Korea. (1950-1953)
Hindus often make a pilgrimage to this site
A major tropical storm located in the Pacific Ocean
A part of the Hindu religion; illegal in India
Following WWII, Asians began experimenting with agriculture
Ring shaped islands that formed from coral reefs and
volcanoes
The correct political name for China
River in China that has killed thousands in floods; also known
as China's Sorrow
Mountain located in Japan
Economic alliance created in 1976 to reduce trade restrictions
in Southeast Asia
Conflict since the Chinese Revolution (1949); The Nationalists
fled China and went to Taiwan when the communists took over
Ancient building found in Cambodia
Mountains found in India
African Union
Darfur, Sudan
Rice
Kashmir
Taj Mahal
Huang He
Monsoons
Yurts
Korean War
Varanasi, India
Typhoon
Caste system
Green Revolution
atolls
People’s Republic of China
Huang He/Yellow River
Mt. Fuji
ASEAN
China/Taiwan
Angkor Wat
Western & Eastern Ghats
9
Burma
Xi’an, China
Also known as Myanmar
Open-sided, thatched roof shelters found in the Pacific
City located on the Silk Road
Oceania
(Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Antarctica)
Fales
Islands formed by rising and folding of ancient rock on the
ocean floor
Coral Islands or Atolls
Islands that were formed from the buildup of coral reefs
Maori
The indigenous people of New Zealand
Great Barrier Reef
Huge coral reef located off the coast of Australia
Fales (Thatched roof Huts) Type of building found in the Pacific Islands
Signed in 1959 to demilitarize Antarctica and make it a haven
Antarctic Treaty
for scientists to study
Architectural structure found in Sydney, Australia; designed to
Sydney Opera House
look like boat sails
Cattle or Sheep Ranching
Livelihood commonly found in Australia
Great Dividing Range
Mountain range located on the eastern coast of Australia
Aborigines
The native inhabitants of Australia
Penal (Prison) Colony
The method in which Australia was colonized by the English
Continental Islands
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