Chapter 1
Physical Geography - answerconcerned with the locations of such earth features as
land, water, and climate; their relationship to one another and to human activities; and
the forces that create and change them
Cultural Geography - answerThe subfield of human geography that looks at how
cultures vary over space
International System - answerSI,, A system of measurement based on multiples of ten
and on established measures of mass, length, and time.
Atmosphere - answerAir surrounding Earth;is made up of gases,including 78 percent
nitrogen,21 percent oxygen,and 0.03 percent carbon dioxide.
hydrosphere - answerAll of the water-salt water and fresh water, in the form of liquid,
ice, or vapor- above and below earths surface and in the atmosphere.
cryosphere - answerA term referring to all water that is temporarily frozen in polar ice
caps, snow, permafrost, and glaciers
biosphere - answerAll the parts of the planet that are inhabited by living things; sum of
all Earth's ecosystems
lithosphere - answerA rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the
crust.
closed system - answerA system in which energy, but not matter, is exchanged with its
surroundings.
open system - answerA system in which both energy and matter are exchanged with
the surroundings.
equilibrium - answerA state of balance between various forces or factors
positive feedback loop - answerCauses a system to change further in the same
direction.
negative feedback loop - answerA feedback loop that causes a system to change in the
opposite direction from which it is moving
latitude - answerEast-west lines parallel to the equator used to measure distance in
degrees north or south of the equator
Physical Geography - answerconcerned with the locations of such earth features as
land, water, and climate; their relationship to one another and to human activities; and
the forces that create and change them
Cultural Geography - answerThe subfield of human geography that looks at how
cultures vary over space
International System - answerSI,, A system of measurement based on multiples of ten
and on established measures of mass, length, and time.
Atmosphere - answerAir surrounding Earth;is made up of gases,including 78 percent
nitrogen,21 percent oxygen,and 0.03 percent carbon dioxide.
hydrosphere - answerAll of the water-salt water and fresh water, in the form of liquid,
ice, or vapor- above and below earths surface and in the atmosphere.
cryosphere - answerA term referring to all water that is temporarily frozen in polar ice
caps, snow, permafrost, and glaciers
biosphere - answerAll the parts of the planet that are inhabited by living things; sum of
all Earth's ecosystems
lithosphere - answerA rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the
crust.
closed system - answerA system in which energy, but not matter, is exchanged with its
surroundings.
open system - answerA system in which both energy and matter are exchanged with
the surroundings.
equilibrium - answerA state of balance between various forces or factors
positive feedback loop - answerCauses a system to change further in the same
direction.
negative feedback loop - answerA feedback loop that causes a system to change in the
opposite direction from which it is moving
latitude - answerEast-west lines parallel to the equator used to measure distance in
degrees north or south of the equator
