kb/data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_geography_terms_(A–M)-16.md

title	chunk	source	category	tags	date_saved	instance
Glossary of geography terms (A–M)	17/29	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_geography_terms_(A–M)	reference	science, encyclopedia	2026-05-05T08:06:28.704764+00:00	kb-cron

geographical inertia Also geographical momentum. The tendency of a place with established installations and services to maintain its size and its importance as a focus of economic or industrial activity after the conditions originally influencing its development have appreciably altered, ceased to be relevant, or disappeared.

geographical mile A unit of length defined as the distance equal to one minute of arc along the Earth's Equator: approximately 1,855.3 metres (1.1528 mi; 1.8553 km). The precise length varies with the reference ellipsoid used to approximate the shape of the Earth. Regardless of the particular ellipsoid, the length of one degree of longitude at the Equator is equal to exactly 60 geographical miles.

geography The scientific study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.

geoid The shape that the surface of the Earth's oceans would take under the influence of Earth's gravity and rotational acceleration alone, in the absence of other influences such as winds and tides. It is often characterized as the precise mathematical figure of the Earth: a smooth but irregular gravitational equipotential surface at every point of which, by definition, the direction of the force of gravity is always perpendicular and spirit levels are always parallel. Its shape results from anomalies in the Earth's gravitational field caused by the uneven distribution of mass within and on the Earth's surface. A reference ellipsoid is an idealized approximation of the more complex and accurate geoid.

geoinformatics The science and technology which develops and uses information science infrastructures to address problems and analyze data within geography, cartography, geoscience, and related branches of science and engineering.

geoinformation See geodata.

geolocation The identification or estimation of the real-world geographic location of an object, involving the generation of a set of geographic coordinates in order to determine a more meaningful description of location, such as a street address.

geolocking See geoblocking.

geomatics Also geospatial science. The scientific discipline that involves gathering, storing, processing, and delivering geographic or spatially referenced information.

geometer See surveyor.

geomorphology The study of the arrangement and form of the Earth's crust and of the relationship between these physical features and the geologic structures beneath.

geopotential

1. The potential of the Earth's gravitational field, expressed as the sum, U, of the gravitational potential Vg of the Earth at point P and the rotational potential Vc at the same point, i.e. U = Vg + Vc.
2. The negative of the sum of the gravitational potential Vg and the rotational potential Vc, i.e. U = −(Vg + Vc). This alternative definition is often used by physicists.
3. The potential energy of a unit mass relative to the geoid, numerically equivalent to the work which would be done in lifting the mass from the geoid against the force of gravity to the elevation at which the mass is actually located.

georeferencing

geoscience See Earth science.

geosophy The study of geographical knowledge from any and all points of view, past or present, true or false; the study of the nature and expression of geographical ideas.

geospatial science See geomatics.

geosphere The collective non-living parts of the Earth: the lithosphere, the atmosphere, the cryosphere, and the hydrosphere.

geostatistics A branch of statistics which involves the organization, management, and analysis of spatial and spatiotemporal datasets. Geostatistical algorithms are often incorporated in GIS software applications.

geosystems See physical geography.

geotargeting

ghetto A section of a city occupied by members of a minority group who live there because of social restrictions on their residential choices. Originally, the term referred specifically to a section of a European city to which Jews were confined.

ghost town A deserted or abandoned village, town, or city, especially one in which remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads are still visible. The term is also sometimes used to refer to settlements that are still populated, but significantly less so than in previous years.

glacial Of or pertaining to a glacier or to the consequences of glaciation; formed, deposited, caused, or affected by glaciological processes.

glacial drift See drift.

glacial erratic See erratic.

glacial flour See rock flour.

glacial lake A lake or other enclosed body of water created by historical or ongoing glacial activity; e.g. the Great Lakes of North America.

glacial till The mass of rocks and finely ground material carried by a glacier and deposited when the ice melts. This creates an unstratified material of varying composition.

glacial trough

glaciation

1. The process or state of being covered with a glacier.
2. Another name for a glacial period, an interval of time that is marked by colder temperatures and advancing glaciers.

glacier A persistent mass of dense ice that moves slowly but constantly under its own weight, and which is composed largely of compacted snow that forms over very long periods of time wherever the annual accumulation of snow exceeds its rate of melting and sublimation. Glaciers slowly deform and abrade the land beneath them, causing many unique geomorphological processes and creating a huge variety of landforms including cirques, moraines, and fjords. They form exclusively on land and are distinct from the much thinner ice that forms on bodies of water.

glaciology The scientific study of glaciers, including their formation, composition, behavior, causes, effects, and distribution; or more generally of ice or any natural phenomena involving ice.

glacis A smooth, gently sloping surface at the foot of a hill, mountain, or any other high promontory, whether natural or artificial. In the latter case, the term is used in particular to describe a stone or earthen slope constructed at the base of some historical military fortifications.

glade Also clearing. Any large, open, mostly treeless area within a forest.

glen A long valley bounded by gently sloping, concave sides, and typically narrower and deeper than a strath. The term is used primarily in Scotland.

glint A steep cliff, terrace, or edge of a plateau.