Elements Or Physical Geography: With Outlines of Geology, Mathematical Geography, and Astronomy, and Questions for Examination |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Africa angle animals antarctic antarctic circle Antarctic Ocean arctic arctic circle Asia Atlantic Ocean axis body called Cape Caspian Sea Caucasian race cause centre climate coast constellation continent crosses degrees Describe diameter direction distance earth earth's surface earthquake east ecliptic elevation equator equinoctial Europe extends feet force globe gravity Gulf Gulf of Guinea heat heavens height hemisphere horizon Humboldt interior Islands lakes land latitude leading longitude masses Mention meridian miles moon motion Mountains move nearly north pole north-west northern orbit parallel passes phenomena plains planet polar circles pole-star position rain regions revolve round rise rivers rocks rotation round the sun sandstone side solar South America southern sphere square miles stars straight line strata sun's table-lands temperate zone temperature terminator tion torrid zone tropic tropic of Cancer tropic of Capricorn vapour vast vegetation vertical volcanoes wind
Popular passages
Page 124 - areas in equal times. 2. The orbits of the planets are ELLIPSES, having the sun in one of the foci. 3. The squares of the periodic times of the planets are in the same proportion as the cubes of, their mean distances from the sun.
Page 58 - 200 yards from the beach. The first wave was followed by two others, which in their retreat carried away a vast wreck of floating objects. In one part of the bay, a ship was pitched high and dry on shore, was carried off, again driven on shore, and again carried off.
Page 138 - Although the earth is about three millions of miles nearer to the sun in winter than in summer, this makes no difference as to his influence in imparting heat, for as much heat is lost by our more rapid motion in winter, as is gained by our greater proximity to the sun; and vice versa in summer. CAUSES
Page 71 - The temperature of the ocean is much more uniform than that of the air. At the depth of about 300 feet it is supposed the influence of changes in the seasons ceases. At a certain depth, varying with the latitude, the great body of water encircling the globe has a constant temperature of about 39'5° Fahrenheit.
Page 109 - The ecliptic is divided into 12 equal parts, of 30° each, called SIGNS, and numbered from the first point of ARIES, which is the first of these signs. A belt of the heavens, extending a few degrees on each side of the ecliptic, is called the ZODIAC, from the constellations there being mostly figures of animals (from the Greek,
Page 13 - The RADIUS of a circle, or of a sphere, is a straight line drawn from the centre to the surface of the sphere, or circumference of the circle.
Page 123 - (3.) The force of gravitation is in inverse proportion to the square of the distance. This means that the attraction between two bodies placed successively at different distances, is as much greater as the square of the distance is less—or as much less as the square of the distance is greater.
Page 47 - rocks, in which the internal texture and mode of stratification have been changed after the formation of the rock. Ex. crystalline marble. (4.) CONGLOMERATE ROCKS, coarse or fine grained sandstones or breccias, composed of mechanically divided masses of the three previous kinds. Ex. the red conglomerate of the new red sandstone system.
Page 132 - The axis of Jupiter is nearly perpendicular to the plane of his orbit, so that his seasons can exhibit but little variety. Near his equator, and parallel to it, a number of zones, or striae,
Page 120 - hours is reduced to the fourth magnitude. It then begins again to increase, and in 3J hours more is restored to its usual brightness, going through all its changes