Geography Glossary - C
caldera
A bowl-shaped circular depression caused by the destruction of the peak of a volcano. Crater Lake, Oregon is a caldera and not a crater
cartogram
A "map" that is a diagram used to present statistical information. A common cartogram shows the countries of the world with the size of the country representing its population.
cartography
The art and science of making maps
census
An investigaton or count of a population
central business district (CBD)
The heart of a city, the downtown center of commerical activity
central place
A town or city which provides services to a surrounding region
choke point
A narrow water passageway between two bodies of land
chorology
Regional geography, the study and description of regions
choropleth map
A map which shows differences by using shading or colors
cirque
A bowl-shaped depression on a mountain that is carved out by an Alpine glacier
CIS
CIS stands for the Commonwealth of Independent States. The CIS is an alliance of 12 of the 15 former Soviet Republics (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldava, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan).
climate
The long term trends in weather conditions for an area
climatology
The study of the climates of the earth
colonialism
The system by which one country controls and dominates a subordinate territory politically and economically.
continental drift
The current theory that the continents of the earth move across the earth on giant tectonic plates
continental shelf
The extension of the continents into the ocean; continental shelf land would be exposed if sea level dropped
contour map
A map which shows points of equal elevation as a line
conurbation
Several adjacent metropolitan areas with form a huge urban area. Megalopolis
Coriolis effect
The Coriolis effect results from earth's rotation causing freely moving objects to veer toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. It effects things like wind, ocean currents, airplanes, missiles, but does not effect toilets or sinks.
country
An independent political entity, also known as a State
culture
The belief systems, attitudes, languages, social relationships, institutions, and material goods transmitted within a society
cultural geography
The branch of geography dealing with human culture and its impact on the earth
cultural landscape
The evidence of human impact on a physical environment