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Because most adults have not had a geography refresher course since their junior high or high school years, it is no surprise that many geographical terms need definition. Whether you need help understanding a travel book or want to help your elementary student pass his/her exams, having access to a few geography glossary and terms websites can be helpful.

Knowing your local geography can help if you want to further develop your land. In the same sense, if the city, county, or state wants to use adjacent or nearby properties, knowing the terms they use can increase your understanding of what is being proposed.

Look up Geography Terms with yourDictionary

Not all terms will need a specialized glossary. If you simply want an accurate and short definition of a word, use yourDictionary to find it. Type the word you need defined (such as "plateau") into the search box. Hit "search." You can then see the various definitions for the word you need. In this case, the first definition of plateau is the one relating to geography.

Beyond simply getting definitions, you can also use yourDictionary to hear the word pronounced. To do so, click on "hear it." This is helpful for new terms you have not heard in everyday conversation.

General Geography Glossaries

Geography glossaries that have a wide range of terms are the most useful. Commonly used terms can be looked up with ease. Use the following glossaries to find geography terms:

• Glossary from the U.S. Department of State: Look up American geographical terms using this glossary. Scroll through the alphabet or search by letter to find the word you need defined. Definitions are generally short and to the point, such as the one sentence definition to "lignite."
• Glossary of Terms: Use this website by selecting the letter of the term. This extensive glossary has links to other terms within the definition. The definitions are as long or as short as necessary.
• GIS Dictionary: With over 980 terms and 52 diagrams, you can search for terms in this dictionary several ways. Search by geographical origin, alphabet, acronym, or category. "Latitude" brings up a result that features a well written definition, related terms, and further reading/references.

Specialized Geography Term Glossaries

At times you may need to look up something in a more specialized dictionary or glossary. Perhaps you want to learn more about an article you read in a newspaper, or you heard a trivia question on a game show that requires further investigation. Regardless of the reason, you can find specialty geography glossaries.

Try these specialized glossaries to find answers to your geography questions:

• Dictionary of Abbreviations and Acronyms in Geographic Information Systems, Cartography, and Remote Sensing: Technical writing can be hard to understand, since a large number of acronyms and abbreviations are used. Look up unfamiliar terms in this dictionary made especially for those situations. Only the word or phrase for which the abbreviation or acronym stands for is given, however. To get a more thorough definition, you may need to use a general dictionary.
• Economic Geography Glossary: A glossary written using terms and words found in the economic subset of geography. Search by letter to find the term you need defined. Some definitions do feature links to other unknown terms. Terms (such as "agglomeration economies") are defined within a geographic context and how it relates to economic principles; in this case, the "benefit, savings, or (average) cost reductions resulting from the clustering of activities." Further definition and examples then follow.
• Glossary of Coastal Terminology: Use this dictionary to look up terms relating to geographical formations and information specific to the coastlines of the United States. Search the glossary by scrolling through the alphabet. An appendix is included with several diagrams for further explanation of terms.

By using yourDictionary and general or specialized geographical glossaries, it is easy to learn more about the land around you.