| A | B |
|---|
| glacier | large ice mass that moves slowly down a mountain or over land |
| mountain | elevation of earth with steep sides, higher than a hill |
| plateau | broad, flat area of land higher than the surrounding land |
| prairie | large, level area of grassland with few trees |
| valley | lowland between hills or mountains |
| peninsula | land jutting from mainland and surrounded by water on three sides |
| strait | narrow channel of water connecting two larger bodies of water |
| river | stream of water which flows over land and empties into another body of water |
| valley | lowlands between hills or mountains |
| cape | land extending into the sea beyond the rest of the shoreline |
| bay | part of a sea or lake which reaches into the land along the shore |
| delta | a mass of mud and silt deposited by a river at its mouth |
| lake | body of water encircled by land |
| isthmus | narrow landform connecting two larger pieces of land |
| island | land mass completely surrounded by water |
| tributary | a stream that flows into a larger river |
| volcano | an opening in the earth that shoots out lava, rock, gases and ashes |
| plain | flat or gently rolling land, usually not far above sea level |
| mouth of a river | place where a river empties into a larger body of water |
| gulf | part of a body of water that extends into the land; larger than a bay |
| coast | land beside a sea or an ocean |
| coastal plain | an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast |
| archipelago | a group or chain of islands clustered together in a sea or ocean |
| desert | dry barren region usually sandy and without trees, little rainfall or practical use of land |
| cardinal directions | north, south, east, west |
| hemisphere | half a sphere |
| meridian | longitude lines |
| parallel | latitude lines same distance from one another |
| scale | shows distance on map or globe |
| south pole | southern most point of earth |
| globes | small model of our planet showing land and water |
| continent | large bodies of land |
| intermediate directions | the directions halfway between the cardinal directions (northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast) |
| symbol | anything that stands for something else |
| legend | explains what each symbol stands for |
| political map | shows countries, states, cities, and other important political features |
| physical map | shows natural features of the earth |
| landform map | a physical map that shows how the earth's surface varies from place to place |
| distribution map | shows how things are distributed over an area (population, religion, rainfall, language) |
| compass rose | a drawing that shows direction |
| meridians | longitude lines |
| longitude | imaginary lines that measure distance east and west of the prime meridian |
| latitude | imaginary lines that measure distance north and south of the equator |
| historical map | maps that show information about the past or where past events took place |
| parallels | latitude lines |
| Antarctic Circle | an imaginary line located at 66 1/2 degrees south of the equator |
| Sumer | southern Mesopotamia |
| city-states | made up of the city and the farmland around it |
| Gilgamesh | famous priest-king |
| surplus | extra |
| Sumerians | inventors of the wheel |
| artisans | skilled workers |
| cuneiform | Sumerian writing made up of wedge-shaped signs |
| Mesopotamia | cradle of civilization |
| culture | way of life |
| Absolute location | exact location |
| Paleolithic | Old Stone Age |
| civilization | complex society |
| migrate | to move |
| Neolithic | New Stone Age |
| domesticated | tamed |
| prehistory | period of time before the invention of writing |
| hunter-gatherers | people who hunt animals and gather wild plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive |
| ice ages | freezing times |
| agriculture | farming |
| specialization | development of occupations |
| scribe | a writer; record keeper |
| primary source | an account of an event by someone who took part in or witnessed the event |
| secondary source | information gathered by someone who did not take part in or witness an event |
