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Glossary

Altitude The height above sea level (in feet or meters) at any given location.

Avalanche The fast movement of rock or snow down a mountain.

Biodiversity Short for biological diversity, the variety of life on earth.

Climate How weather behaves over many years.

Continent A large landmass.

Cultural diversity The variety of civilizations in a region.

Culture The customs and civilization of a group of people or a certain time period.

Ecosystem A natural community of plants and animals.

Equator An imaginary line around the Earth, halfway between the North and South Pole (0° latitude).

Evolution The gradual development of a species over time, in response to its surroundings.

Geology The rocks, minerals, and fossils that make up the Earth.

Glacier A river of ice that slowly moves down a mountainside.

Global Grid An imaginary system of lines that help us locate places on the surface of the Earth.

Lines of latitude Also called parallels, these imaginary lines run parallel to the Equator, measuring the exact location of a place north or south of the Equator. They are measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds.

Lines of longitude Running from the North to the South Pole, these lines measure the location of a place east or west of the prime meridian (0° longitude). Native plant A species of plant that lives in the region in which it evolved.

Native plant A plant species growing in the region in which it evolved.

Pollution The contamination of natural and manmade systems, usually by humans.

Species A group of plants or animals that share similar characteristics.