Geography
Geography - Part2
64) What are the types of climate?
| Type of Climate | Details |
|---|---|
| Tropical | High temperatures and large amounts of rainfall. Examples are rainforest and savannas. Average monthly temperature is 64.4F. Almost no winter |
| Temperate (middle latitude or mesothermal) | Summers quite warm with little rainfall. Winters are moderate and wet. 26.4F to 64.4F. Examples are subtropical regions and Mediterranean regions |
| Dry | Very little rainfall. Semi-arid and arid zones. 120F to 100F |
| Cold (continental) | Moderate rainfall. Summer temperatures 70F-90F. Winter 26F |
| Polar | Warmest temperatures are 50F and are short lived. Large blocks of permanent ice |
65) Types of Biomes(a large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife)?
| Type of Biome | Details |
|---|---|
| Aquatic | Freshwater biomes that are bodies of water like ponds, rivers and lakes having salt content of less than 1% and surrounded by land. Marine biomes like ocean, coral reefs and estuaries |
| Grassland | Open regions that are dominated by grass and have a warm, dry climate. Tropical grasslands are savannas. Savannas are closer to equator and have few scattered trees. Temperate grasslands are away from equator. Temperate grasslands do not have trees or shrubs. Prairies(taller grasses) and Steppes (shorter grasses) are temperate grasslands |
| Forests | Tropical forests are close to equator and are warm and humid, Temperate forests are at higher latitudes and experience 4 seasons. Boreal forests are found at more higher latitudes and have the coldest and driest climate, where precipitation occurs primarily in the form of snow |
| Desert | These are dry areas where rainfall is less than 20 inches per year. They are found in subtropical areas. They are either hot or cold. Not much biodiversity found here due to tough conditions for survival. |
| Tundra | Temperatures range from -34C(-29F) to 12C(54F). Low precipitation. 6 to 10 inches rainfall per year. Not much biodiversity due to tough conditions for survival. Some shrubs, grasses etc. exist. Arctic tundra is found north of Boreal forests and alpine tundra is found on mountains. |
66) What is Polar Vortex?
It is a large area of very cold air and low pressure surrounding both polar regions mainly in winter
67) What is Condensation?
It is a process where gas or vapour becomes liquid
68) How clouds are formed?
Clouds are formed by condensation of evaporated water
69) What is Evaporation?
Water is transformed from liquid to gaseous state
70) What is absolute humidity?
The amount of water vapour present in the atmosphere
71) What is relative humidity?
It is the percentage of moisture present in the atmosphere compared to full capacity at a given temperature
72) What is Dew point?
It is the temperature to which the air has to be cooled at constant pressure to reach a relative humidity of 100%
73) What is sublimation?
When a substance has transformed from the gas state directly to solid state without passing through liquid state then that is called sublimation
74) What is Dew?
The moisture that is formed after condensation is called Dew
75) What is fog?
Fog is tiny droplets of water suspended in the air(thick cloud) that hangs low. Visibility is low, duration is longer and density is high
76) What is mist?
Mist is tiny droplets of water suspended in the air by changes in temperature or humidity or volcanic activity. Visibility is higher, duration is shorter and density is low
77) What is frost?
Frost is thin layer of ice or ice crystals formed on a solid surface when temperature falls below freezing
78) What is haze?
Haze is a phenomenon where suspended particles like dust, smoke etc. obscure the lower atmosphere
79) What is Smog?
Smog is intensified fog or haze by atmospheric pollutants
80) What is cloud?
Cloud is tiny droplets of water or ice suspending in air that are formed by condensation
81) What are the types of clouds?
Cirrus, cumulus, stratus and nimbus
82) What are cirrus clouds?
They are thin white/light grey clouds formed at higher altitudes
83) What are cumulus clouds?
Cumulus clouds are flat based clouds that look like pieces of cotton. They are scattered
84) What are stratus clouds?
Stratus clouds are layered clouds formed by cold air at low altitudes or fog. They may produce drizzle or snow
85) What are nimbus clouds?
Nimbus clouds are dense black clouds formed at about surface of earth
86) What is Precipitation?
The moisture that forms after condensation of atmospheric water vapour is called precipitation. It can take the form of rain, sleet, snow etc.
87) What is Sleet?
Sleet is frozen raindrops
88) What is hail?
Hail is solid precipitation. It is pieces of ice with diameter of a at least 5mm
89) What are the types of rainfall?
Convectional rainfall: The hot air rises up in convectional currents, temperature drops and cumulus clouds are formed due to condensation. Short heavy rains with lightning and thunder happens. The precipitation in a tropical cyclone is of this type
Orographic or relief rainfall: Saturated air rises after coming across mountains. Condensation occurs and surplus moisture falls down along the windward slopes
Frontal precipitation rainfall: Occurs when two air masses with different temperatures come in contact. The precipitation in a temperate cyclone is of this type
90) What is a Bay?
It is a body of water that connects to a larger main body of water
91) What is a Gulf?
It is part of Ocean that extends into land
92) What is a Strait?
A strait is a naturally formed narrow body of water that connects 2 large bodies of water
93) What is isthmus?
It is a narrow strip of land that connects 2 large areas of land and separated by 2 bodies of water
94) Which is the largest and deepest Ocean?
Pacific Ocean
95) Which is the deepest point on earth?
Mariana Trench in the Pacific ocean
96) Which Ocean is most important with respect to trade?
Atlantic Ocean
97) What is a Glacier?
It is moving mass of ice
98) Which is the longest continental mountain range in the world?
The Andes
99) Which is the world’s highest mountain range outside of Asia?
The Andes
100) Where are Ural mountains located?
Russia
101) Which mountains are formed when the continents Africa and Europe collided?
Atlas mountains
102) Which are the highest mountain in the world? How high?
The Mount Everest is about 8848 meters high
103) Which is the second highest mountain in the world?
K2 is 8611 meters high
104) Which is the third highest mountain in the world?
Kanchenjunga is 8586 meters high
105) What is petrology?
Scientific study of rocks
106) What are the 3 types of rocks?
Igneous rocks, Sedimentary rocks and Metamorphic rocks
107) What are the types of igneous rocks? How are they formed?
The igneous rocks are extrusive rocks or intrusive rocks. Extrusive rocks are formed from lava and intrusive rocks are formed when magma cools and solidifies. Examples of igneous rocks are Granite and Basalt
108) What are the types of sedimentary rocks?
The 3 types of sedimentary rocks are Clastic, Biological and Chemical
109) How are Clastic sedimentary rocks formed?
They are formed from pieces of pre-existing rocks. The smallest are called clay, silt and sand. Bigger ones are called pebbles
110) How are Biological sedimentary rocks formed?
They are formed from the remains of plants and animals. Example is Coal
111) How are chemical sedimentary rocks formed?
They are formed when water traveling through rock dissolves minerals. Example is limestone
112) How are metamorphic rocks formed?
They are formed from other types of rocks when they change form due to temperature, volume or pressure. Examples are marble and quartzite
113) What is a seismograph?
It is an instrument used to detect and record earthquakes
114) How does earthquakes happen?
They happen when there is sudden movement of tectonic plates
115) What is a fault with respect to earthquake
Fault is the boundary between tectonic plates where the earthquake happens
116) What is a hypocentre(focus) with respect to earthquake?
It is the location below the earth where the earthquake starts
117) What is epicentre with respect to earthquake?
It is the location above the earth where the earthquake starts
118) What is a seismogram?
The recording of earthquakes made by seismograph is called a seismogram
119) Earthquake magnitude and their descriptions?
| Magnitude of earthquake | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 1-1.9 | Micro |
| 2-2.9 | Minor |
| 3-3.9 | Minor |
| 4-4.9 | Light |
| 5-5.9 | Moderate |
| 6-6.9 | Strong |
| 7-7.9 | Major |
| 8-8.9 | Great |
| 9-9.9 | Great |
120) What is magnitude with respect to earthquake
It is the size of the earthquake
121) What is a Richter Scale?
It represents the magnitude of earthquake
122) What are the 5 oceans?
Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern(Antarctic) Ocean and Arctic Ocean
123) What is the longest river in the world?
The Nile