| A | B |
|---|
| plateau | broad, flat area of land higher than the surrounding land |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Antarctic circle | 66 1/2 s |
| Arctic circle | 66 1/2 n |
| cardinal directions | north, south, east, west |
| equator | 0 degrees latitude |
| hemisphere | half a sphere |
| map key/legend | map informatin and explanations are given |
| scale | shows distance on map or globe |
| Tropic of Cancer | 23 1/2 degrees n |
| Tropic of Capricorn | 23 1/2 degrees s |
| globes | small model of our planet showing land and water |
| Latitude | Imaginary lines that run across the globe parallel to the Equator |
| Longitude | Imaginary lines on the globe that run from pole to pole (not parallel) |
| Map Scale | Used to show distance |
| continent | large bodies of land |
| intermediate directions | the directions halfway between the cardinal directions (northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast) |
| compass rose | a drawing that shows direction |
| empire | group of states under one ruler |
| Sargon I | ruler of Akkad that developed the first empire |
| Sumer | southern Mesopotamia |
| ziggurat | Sumerian temple |
| Gilgamesh | famous priest-king |
| Sumerians | inventors of the wheel |
| Hammurabi | king of Babylon best known for his code of laws |
| cuneiform | Sumerian writing made up of wedge-shaped signs |
| Ur | great city of Sumer |
| barley | chief crop of Sumerians |
| Mesopotamia | cradle of civilization |
| empire | group of states under one ruler |
| Absolute location | exact location |
| Relative location | where something is in relation to other places (NSEW) |
| Human Environment Interaction | how people change their environment |
| Movement | How do people in one area relate to people in other areas? |
| Region | What common features bring geographical areas together? |
| Paleolithic | Old Stone Age |
| 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 |
| Sumerians | inventors of the wheel |
| artisans | skilled workers |
| Hammurabi | king of Babylon |
| cuneiform | Sumerian writing made up of wedge-shaped signs |
| history | study of the past |
| culture | the knowledge, beliefs, customs, and values of a group of people |
| artifacts | objects created by and used by humans (coins, tools, toys, pottery, arrowheads) |
| archaeologists | scientists who study the remains of past human life |
| anthropologists | scientists who study the origin and development of humans |
| geologists | scientists who study the physical structure and processes of the earth and planets of the solar system |
| historian | people who study history and write on it |
| decade | a period of 10 years |
| century | a period of 100 years |
| circa or c. | a word used to show that historians are not sure of an exact date; it means about |
| B.C. | before the birth of Christ |
| A.D. | after the birth of Christ |
| BCE | another way to refer to BC dates; it stands for "before the common era" |
| CE | another way to refer to AD dates; it stands for "common era" |
