Also isle. Any piece of sub-continental land that is entirely surrounded by water; or more generally, any isolated habitat that is surrounded by a different habitat, including different types of land. island nation A country or polity whose territory consists primarily or entirely of one or more islands or parts of islands. isle See island. islet A very small island. isometric Having equal measure. isopleth Any line on a map connecting places of equal value of some specified variable. The variable may be a physical or natural quantity, such as elevation above sea level (as with contour lines) or temperature (as with isotherms), or a quantity related to social or economic statistics, such as population, wealth, or transport costs. isostasy Also snowmelt. Water (usually freshwater) derived from the melting of snow or ice, including seasonal snowfall, glacial ice, icebergs, and ice shelves over the ocean. [4] mental map Mercator projection Tarn, W. W. (2013). "Alexander and the Ganges". The Journal of Hellenic Studies. 43 (2): 93–101. doi: 10.2307/625798. JSTOR 625798. S2CID 164111602. Also heathland. A shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining, infertile, acidic soils and characterized by open, low-growing, woody vegetation. hectare (ha) A metric unit of area defined by a square with sides of 100 metres, equal to 10,000 m 2 or 2.471 acres. There are 100 hectares in 1 square kilometre (km 2). [4] hedgerow Ancient Greek gazetteers are known to have existed since the Hellenistic era. The first known Chinese gazetteer was released by the first century, and with the age of print media in China by the ninth century, the Chinese gentry became invested in producing gazetteers for their local areas as a source of information as well as local pride. The geographer Stephanus of Byzantium wrote a geographical dictionary (which currently has missing parts) in the sixth century which influenced later European compilers. Modern gazetteers can be found in reference sections of most libraries as well as on the internet.

a b c d e f Glossary of the Mapping Sciences. New York, NY: American Society of Civil Engineers, American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, and American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. 1994. ISBN 0-7844-0050-4.

Although better known for his work on the Gujin Tushu Jicheng encyclopedia, the early-to-mid Qing scholar Jiang Tingxi aided other scholars in the compilation of the "Daqing Yitongzhi" ('Gazetteer of the Qing Empire'). [55] This was provided with a preface in 1744 (more than a decade after Jiang's death), revised in 1764, and reprinted in 1849. [55] Masuda, Wataru. (2000). Japan and China: Mutual Representations in the Modern Era. Translated by Joshua A. Fogel. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-22840-6. Brown, Truesdell S. (1954). "Herodotus and His Profession". The American Historical Review. 59 (4): 829–843. doi: 10.2307/1845119. JSTOR 1845119. Hall, John Whitney (1957). "Materials for the Study of Local History in Japan: Pre-Meiji Daimyō Records". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. 20 (1/2): 187–212. doi: 10.2307/2718525. JSTOR 2718525.

Also mud flat and tidal flat. A type of coastal wetland consisting of exposed layers of bay mud formed by the deposition of silts, clays, and marine animal detritus by tides or rivers. Mudflats usually form within the intertidal zone of relatively sheltered areas such as bays and lagoons. mudflow Also coordinate reference system (CRS). A coordinate-based local, regional, or global system used to locate geographical entities and which defines a specific map projection as well as transformations between different systems. spatiomap spirit level spit Also Atlantic-type coastline. A coastline which cuts transversely across the predominant orientation of the local geological strata, i.e. not parallel to them, as with a concordant coastline. [4] dissected plateau A landscape produced by significant stream erosion and incision of a plateau such that only a small part of the plateau surface is at or near the original elevation of the summit; much of the area instead occurs as eroded hills or badlands. [5] distance decay The decrease in cultural or spatial interactions between two places as the distance between them increases. This effect may be noticeable in towns and cities, where certain characteristics such as pedestrian traffic, building height, and land value tend to decline with greater distance from the city center. distributary A stream or river that branches off and flows away from a main channel and does not return to it. Distributaries are common near river deltas. Contrast tributary. district A type of administrative subdivision used by governments and institutions worldwide, typically at regional or local levels. Districts are commonly drawn to define the jurisdictions of special local government services, such as law enforcement and education, and often function more or less independently of the municipal or county governments that designate them. The term can refer to a wide variety of official and colloquial subdivisions, including electoral districts, school districts, and shopping districts. divide See drainage divide. doab In parts of South Asia, the low alluvial plain lying between and reaching to the confluence of two rivers or streams. [13] See also interfluve. doline

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) (2008-06-26). "Glossary: An Outline of American Geography". america.gov. Washington, DC: United States Department of State. Archived from the original on 2008-06-26. Also relief map. A map that uses contour lines to represent the three-dimensional features of a landscape on a two-dimensional surface. [11] topographic prominence Bol, Peter K. (2001). "The Rise of Local History: History, Geography, and Culture in Southern Song and Yuan Wuzhou". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. 61 (1): 37–76. doi: 10.2307/3558587. JSTOR 3558587. Also terminus or toe. The lowermost margin or extremity of a glacier, always either gradually advancing or retreating, sometimes partially hidden by morainic material, and commonly featuring a cave from which meltwater flows. [3] snowline The lowest elevation at which snow remains throughout the year if the summer warmth does not completely melt the winter accumulation, e.g. on a high mountain. This elevation varies widely with latitude, local climate, directional aspect, and steepness of slope, such that the snowline may be very different on different mountains in the same range, on different faces of the same mountain, or on the same face in different years. [11] social trail See desire path. soil horizon A distinct layer of soil which can be distinguished from other layers in vertical cross-section. [4] solution pan See panhole. solubility The degree to which a substance can be dissolved in another substance; in a geographical context, the characteristic of soil minerals that leads them to be carried away in solution by water. See also leaching. [4] sound 1.A large inlet of a sea or ocean that is larger than a bay, deeper than a bight, and wider than a fjord. 2.A narrow sea or ocean channel between two landmasses. South Geographic Pole

Also savannah. A mixed woodland- grassland ecosystem characterized by scattered trees and bushes that are sufficiently widely spaced that the canopy does not close, permitting enough sunlight to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer of primarily xerophytic grasses. The term is used especially to refer to the vast, hot, arid grasslands covering parts of equatorial Africa, South America, and northern Australia, but is also sometimes applied more broadly. [3] scale 1.The relationship between a linear measurement on a map and the distance it represents on the Earth's surface. [5] 2.The level at which a geographical phenomenon occurs or is described. scarpHarfield, C.G. (1991). "A Hand-List of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book". The English Historical Review. 106 (419): 371–392. doi: 10.1093/ehr/CVI.CCCCXIX.371. JSTOR 573107. Also meander scarp. A typically crescent-shaped incision in a bluff or valley wall formed by the remnants of a dry, abandoned meander. MEDC An acronym for More Economically Developed Country. medial moraine