This glossary will contain the words that we use to talk about the the environment that we live in.
Abyssal plain
Noun
Flat seafloor area at an abyssal depth (3,000 to 6,000 m [10,000 to 20,000 feet]), generally adjacent to a continent.
Example: The creation of the abyssal plain is the result of the spreading of the seafloor (plate tectonics) and the melting of the lower oceanic crust.
fr: Plaine abyssale
Coastline
Noun
A line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake.
Example: An example of the rise and fall of sea levels can be seen at the early man site at box grove, which over 500,000 years ago used to be on the cost, it is now 7miles inland, this is an example of the coastline retreating.
fr: Littoral
Environment
Noun
The natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity.
Example: It is possible that given the rising concerns about the impact our way of life is having on the environment that government may increase its efforts to persuade people to use public environmentally friendly modes of transport.
fr: Environnement
Geographer
Noun
An expert in the study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these.
Example: In this travelogue, author and geographer Gina Rae La Cerva circumnavigates the globe in search of some of the planet’s last truly wild foods.
fr: Géographe
Geolocation
Noun
The process or technique of identifying the geographical location of a person or device by means of digital information processed via the internet.
Example: The HTML5 geolocation feature lets you find out the geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude numbers) of the current location of your website's visitor.
fr: Géolocalisation
Glacio-eustatisme
Noun
Overall change in the level of the world ocean produced by the storage or release of continental ice in part of the hydrosphere.
Example: The level of the ocean is uprising because of the glacio-eustatisme.
fr: Glacio-eustatisme
Green space
Noun
Land that is partly or completely covered with grass, trees, shrubs, or other vegetation. Green space includes parks, community gardens, and cemeteries. Schoolyards. Playgrounds. Public seating areas.
Example: The urban zone is mainly a residential one with little green space.
fr: Espace vert
Landscape
Noun
All the visible features of an area of countryside or land, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.
Example: It also seems that these nomads placed religious significance on the sky, the only constant aspect of their landscape.
fr: Paysage
Ocean
Noun
The whole body of salt water that covers nearly three fourths of the surface of the earth.
Example: They are in fact caused by various disturbances in the ocean, most commonly underwater earthquakes (directly, or indirectly via undersea landslides) or volcanic eruptions.
fr: Océan
Plain
Noun
An area of land not significantly higher than adjacent areas and with relatively minor differences in elevation, commonly less than 500 feet (150 meters), within the area.
Example: But what a magnificent plain is this we are entering upon: it is of immense extent.
fr: Plaine
Planning
Verb
The way in which the parts of something are arranged or laid out.
Example: For future planning of the farm, communication with other employees and also other nearby farms will be useful, so I can note any changes which may be desirable for the farm or the area.
fr: Aménagement
Railway
Noun
A track made of steel rails along which trains run; a railroad.
Example: Peasant families revolted against the government decision of granting a British railway company the ownership of 100 kilometres of land that was already occupied by them.
fr: Chemin de fer
Relief
Noun
The elevations or inequalities of a land surface.
Example: The PALLISER EXPEDITION (1857-1860), funded by the Royal Geographical Society, and the Hind-DAWSON Expeditions (1857-1858), supported by the Government of Canada, collected information on climate, vegetation, geology and terrain in Western Canada.
fr: Relief
Rockies
Noun
The chief mountain range of western North America; extends from British Columbia to northern New Mexico.
Example: The Canadian Rocky Mountains were formed when the North American continent was dragged westward during the closure of an ocean basin off the west coast and collided with a microcontinent over 100 million years ago, according to a new study by University of Alberta scientists.
fr: Rocheuses
Slum
Noun
A squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people.
Example: This result may be a reflection of the deplorable condition of slum dwellers in urban areas.
fr: Bidonville
Strait
Noun
A narrow passage of water connecting two seas or two other large areas of water.
Example: The Strait of Gibraltar.
fr: Détroit
Swamp
Noun
An area of low-lying, uncultivated ground where water collects; a bog or marsh.
Example: The connection of the dry islands within the swamp to the mainland supports the view the inhabitants of the area must have settled on dry land (Coles & Coles, 1986: 63) and the pathways probably indicate access to resources, possibly reeds for thatching purposes.
fr: Marais
Tectonic plate
Noun
A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere.
Example: The lithosphere, which is the rigid outermost shell of a planet (the crust and upper mantle), is broken into tectonic plates.
fr: Plaque tectonique
Territory
Noun
An area of land; a region.
Example: Those mountains are in Mexican territory.
fr: Territoire
Volcano
Noun
A mountain or hill, typically conical, having a crater or vent through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are being or have been erupted from the earth's crust.
Example: Extreme natural events are excellent at making sure that a site survives, the best example of this being the destruction and subsequent survival of Pompeii and Herculaneum when Mount Vesuvius, the volcano in the south of Italy, erupted, both being preserved almost perfectly due to their coating in ash.
