| If you left school a decade ago, chances are | | | | describe our world, it behooves us to understand |
| much of what you learned about geography is no | | | | the words, or terms, from which that language is |
| longer valid. More than thirty new countries have | | | | constructed. The geography dictionary aims to be |
| made their appearance on the geographic scene | | | | a perfect resource for meanings of terms, a |
| since 1990. Do you know where Namibia is? | | | | world geography dictionary that defines the |
| Eritrea? Kosovo? When we send troops to fight | | | | language used to define the planet. |
| and perhaps die, do you know where in the world | | | | The dictionary of geography home page links to |
| they are going? When the names of these distant | | | | fourteen appropriate divisions: World Fact book, |
| and exotic lands lead news stories, do they mean | | | | Physical Geography Dictionary, Geography |
| anything to you? | | | | Dictionary, Cartography Dictionary, among others. |
| One needs a dictionary for geography to learn | | | | Three of these hold meteorological definitions. |
| how the world changes from year to year—or | | | | Why is the jargon associated with geography |
| week to week. But the geo-political climate | | | | different from that of everyday language? |
| isn’t all there is—or even a fraction of | | | | Don’t we all, or most of us, speak English in |
| what there is—to know about geography. | | | | this country? |
| Geography seeks to answer questions about how | | | | In different fields of study, the same word may |
| mountains grow, why they blow their tops, what | | | | take on several meanings. Take ICON, for |
| causes hurricanes, why rivers flow to the ocean, | | | | example. In religion, an icon is an artifact, statue |
| why undersea tectonic plate clashes cause tidal | | | | or other object that inspires devotion: to a |
| waves and earthquakes. | | | | computer user an icon is a small visual aid that |
| Geography is the study of the world, its | | | | may be used to move from one program or |
| structures, its oceans, its faults, its people, even | | | | page to another. To a geographer, an ICON is an |
| its weather. Geography is the science of studying | | | | acronym for "Integrated Cobweb Of Natural and |
| the planet. The geographic dictionary supplements | | | | Social trends." In your Webster’s, it’s an |
| the abundance of scientific studies that compose | | | | image or representation. |
| geography. | | | | The geographic dictionary version will not be |
| Geography is an attempt to describe or define | | | | found in Webster’s New Riverside University |
| the earth (graph=write) and includes or is directly | | | | Dictionary. Neither will ACCLAIM, which means to |
| related to geology, climatography, sociology, | | | | applaud to most people. The Geographer will |
| paleontology, and more. A dictionary of world | | | | recognize it as "Antarctic Circumpolar Current |
| geography can define the words with which we | | | | Levels by Altimetry and Island Measurements," |
| describe our planet and its inhabitants. | | | | and relates to measurements from coastal tide |
| Like every human endeavor, the study of | | | | gauges and bottom pressure stations. |
| geography has developed its own language, or | | | | On the Home Page of Geography Dictionary.org, a |
| jargon. If we’re going to undertake to | | | | Term of the Day is a handy little learning tool. |