GEOGRAPHICAL DEFINITIONS. 



Mitude, in geography, is employed to denote 

 the perpendicular height of any object, as the 

 altitude of a mountain is its height above a 

 given level, generally that of the sea. 



Antarctic is a term applied, in opposition to 

 Arctic, to the south pole, to the regions which 

 encompass it, and to the circle by which they 

 are supposed to be bounded at the distance of 

 23° 28' from the pole. 



Anti'podcs is a term applied to those inhabit- 

 ants of the terrestrial globe who live diametri- 

 cally opposite to eacii other. It is derived from 

 the circumstance of their being opposed feet to 

 feet. As the antipodes are every way distant 

 180° from each other, they have equal latitudes, 

 the one north and the otlier south. They have 

 also the same seasons and length of day and 

 night, but at contrary times, it being sunnner 

 with one while it is winter with the other, and 

 day with one while it is night with the other. 



Archipelago is a term applied to any part of 

 the sea containing numerous islands, particular- 

 ly to that part of the Mediterranean situated 

 between the coast of Asia Minor and European 

 Turkey. 



Basin is a term employed to denote those 

 lower tracts of the earth's surface which are 

 watered by large rivers, and into which the wa- 

 ters of the adjacent districts descend. 



Bay is an arm or portion of the sea extending 

 into the land ; as the Bay of Biscay. 



Cape is the termination of a promontory, or 

 portion of land projecting into the sea or a lake; 

 as the Cape of Good Hope. 



Cardinal Poinls of the compass are the east, 

 west, north, and south points of the horizon. 

 These divide the horizon into four equal parts 

 of 90' each. 



Channel is the bed of a river. It is also ap- 

 plied to an arm of the sea; as the Bristol Chan- 

 nel. 



Chart is a representation of the whole or part 

 of the earth's surface, on a plane. The word is 

 generally employed to denote maps of particular 

 parts of the ocean, with the surrounding coasts, 

 capes, bays, headlands, Stc. 



Circles of the Sphere are such as are suppos- 

 ed to be described either on the surface of 

 the earth, or on the apparent sphere of the 

 heavens. They are generally divided into two 



classes, great and small; the former dividing the 

 surface into two equal, the latter into two un 

 equal parts. The great circles are the meridi- 

 ans, equator, ecliptic, and horizon ; the small 

 circles are parallels of latitude, &c. 



Circles Polar are the two circles which en- 

 compass the polar regions, and are 23| degrees 

 from the poles. 



Climate is a term that expresses that particu- 

 lar combination of temperature and humidity to 

 which any region or country is generally sub- 

 ject ; or, in more general terms, it implies the 

 actual state of the incumbent atmosphere. 



Continent is a large tract of land, containing 

 several contiguous countries, without any sepa- 

 ration of its parts by the intervention of water. 



Crater is the opening of a volcanic moun- 

 tain liom which the smoke and ignited matter 

 issue. 



Current is a body of water in motion, either 

 on land or in the ocean. 



Degree is the 360th part of a circle, or the 

 30th part of a sign. Each degree is divided into 

 60 equal parts or minutes, and each minute into 

 60 seconds. 



Degree of latitude is that part of a meridian 

 included between two points at which the differ- 

 ence in the elevation of any of the heavenly 

 bodies, at the same instant, is equal to the 36th 

 part of a circle. 



Degree of longitude is the space between two 

 meridians, that make an angle of one degree 

 M'ith each other at the pole. The degrees of 

 longitude at different latitudes are unequal, and 

 correspond to those of latitudes only at the 

 equator. As the meridians approach each other 

 till they meet at the poles, the degrees of longi- 

 tude continually decrease until they become 

 nothing at these points; hence a degree of lon- 

 gitude in any latitude is less than a degree on 

 the equator. 



Delta is a term frequently applied to those 

 triangular spaces of low land between the differ- 

 ent mouths, or near the estuaries of great riv 

 ers, which have been formed by the alluvial 

 deposites of their waters. Thus the lower part 

 of Egypt is usually called the Delta. 



Equator is the great circle of the spheres 

 which is everywhere equally distant from the 

 poles. It is thus supposed to divide the .surface 



