Unit 1

Chapter Three

Looking at Regions

relative location the position of a place in relation to other places on Earth
county a part of a state that has its own government
county seat the town or city that is the center of government for a county
 absolute location an exact position on the Earth’s surface

lines of latitude

the set of imaginary lines on a glove or a map that run north and south; they are used to tell how far east or west of the prime meridian a place is

parallels lines that are always the same distance apart, such as lines of latitude
Tropic of Cancer

the line of latitude at 231/2 degrees south

Antarctic Circle

the line of latitude at 66 ½ degrees north

lines of longitude

the set of imaginary lines on a globe or a map that run north and south; they are used to tell how far east or west of the prime meridian a place is

meridians

lines of longitude

natural vegetation the plant life that grows naturally in an area
broadleaf tree a tree with wide , flat leaves; in autumn, the leaves turn colors and fall to the ground
needleleaf tree a tree with long, sharp leaves that look like needles; it stays green all year long
recreation what people do to have fun

agriculture

farming

industry

all the businesses that make one kind of product or provide one kind of service

urban

of or like a city region

suburb

a town or small city, as a suburban region is

suburban

made up of all the suburbs around a large city, as a suburban is

rural

of or like a country region

technology
the way people use new ideas to make tools and machines
trade the buying and selling of goods
transportation the way people and goods are moved from place to place
specialize

to work at only one kind of job

interdependence

depending on one another for resources and products

communication

the way people send and receive information