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Continental drift
The hypothesis that all continents were once joined into a supercontinent that split apart over millions of years.
Glossary
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Continental islands
Once attached to nearby continents, these are the islands north and northeast of Australia, including New Guinea.
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Continental shelf
The Earth’s surface from the edge of a continent to the deep part of the ocean.
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Continentality
A region’s distance from the moderating influence of the sea.
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Convection
The transfer of heat in the atmosphere by the upward movement of the air.
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Convectional precipitation
The heavy precipitation that occurs when air is heated by intense surface radiation, then rises and cools rapidly.
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Convention on the Law of the Sea
Law of the Sea A 1970s United Nations treaty permitting a sovereign power to have greater access to surrounding marine resources.
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Coordinate systems
A means of determining exact or absolute location. Latitude and longitude are most often used.
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Coordinated Universal Time
UTC is the international atomic time scale that serves as the basis of timekeeping for most people. The hours, minutes, and seconds expressed by UTC represent the time of day at the Prime Meridian (0º longitude) near Greenwich, England, as reckoned from midnight.
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Core
The earth’s center is made up of iron and nickel. The inner core is solid, and the outer core is liquid.
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Costa Rica
Location: Central America Official name: Republic of Costa Rica Formation (date of independence / date current borders were established): 1838 / 1838 Capital city: San José Population: 4.6 million / 233 people per sq mile (90 people per sq km) Total land area: 19,730 square miles (51,100 square km) Language(s) spoken: Spanish (official language), English …
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Cottage industry
Handwork that is done in the evenings or slack seasons in the rural world.
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Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
(COMECON) An economic organization, now disbanded, consisting of the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Cuba, Mongolia, and Vietnam.